Evidence of altered epidermal nerve fiber morphology in adults with self-injurious behavior and neurodevelopmental disorders

• Published in: Pain (Amsterdam) Vol. 134; no. 1; pp. 232 - 237
• Main Authors: Symons, Frank J., Wendelschafer-Crabb, Gwen, Kennedy, William, Hardrict, Ronald, Dahl, Norm, Bodfish, James W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.01.2008; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Cranial nerves. Spinal roots. Peripheral nerves. Autonomic nervous system. Gustation. Olfaction; Cross-Sectional Studies; Cutaneous innervation; Epidermis - metabolism; Epidermis - pathology; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Illness and personality; Illness, stress and coping; Intellectual Disability - complications; Intellectual Disability - metabolism; Intellectual Disability - pathology; Male; Medical sciences; Nerve Fibers - metabolism; Nerve Fibers - pathology; Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes); Nervous System Diseases - complications; Nervous System Diseases - metabolism; Nervous System Diseases - pathology; Neurology; Pain; Psychology and medicine; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Self-injurious behavior; Self-Injurious Behavior - complications; Self-Injurious Behavior - metabolism; Self-Injurious Behavior - pathology; Substance P - metabolism; Cutaneous innervation; Pain; Self-injurious behavior; Substance P; Innervation; Neuropeptide; Image analysis; Treatment; Morphology; Skin; Behavior; Tachykinin; Quantitative analysis
• ISSN: 0304-3959; 1872-6623; 1872-6623
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pain.2007.07.022

The purpose of this preliminary study was to examine the morphology and neuropeptide density of epidermal nerve fibers quantified through skin biopsy samples from three adults with neurodevelopmental disorders and chronic self-injurious behavior (SIB) secondary to mental retardation compared with non-SIB normal IQ controls. A cross-sectional design was used with 3 mm punch skin biopsies collected from each participant from non-self-injurious body sites and compared with site-matched existing normal control skin samples. The study was conducted at an outpatient clinic. The primary dependent measure for the morphology analyses was the coefficient of variation (CV) to quantify the mean gap length between epidermal nerve fibers for each subject. Visual microscopic examination and quantitative analysis of the microscopy images suggested there were morphological abnormalities (increased CV) in the epidermal nerve fibers among the chronic SIB cases. Substance P (SP) fiber density was increased with 2–3 times as many fibers in SIB subjects as control subjects. Additional empirical work is needed to clarify the relation between sensory innervation of the skin and self-injury to improve assessment and treatment outcomes.