Effect of COVID-19 on Autism Spectrum Disorder: Prognosis, Diagnosis, and Therapeutics Based on AI

Abstract

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to spread globally throughout. With the present ongoing research, some vital information related to neurological manifestation and symptoms associated with COVID-19 is collected. The manifestation is associated with the injury in the central nervous system (CNS) and pathophysiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The COVID-19 patients show symptoms with mild, moderate, or acute illness which can result in developing respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), cardiovascular diseases, liver dysfunction, and increased level of inflammatory cytokines affecting the immune system. The neuro manifestation covers seizures, encephalitis, acute necrotizing encephalitis, transverse myelitis, and acute flaccid myelitis, which are linked with viral respiratory infections. Research still continues on about a state of neuroinflammation in the CNS when the coronavirus makes its way via the olfactory nerve and a similar condition is spotted in ASD patients. The functional change which occurs with an individual having ASD involves increase in inflammatory cytokine and unusual immune system. Further, investigation also focuses on inflammatory illness during pregnancy and the concept of Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in ASD. The fact is well supported that one of the primary causes of autism is the deficiency of IGF-1 in the newborn infant which results in activation of COVID-19 cytokine, Interleukin-6 (IL6). IL6 reduces immunity particularly in older patients in comparison to younger ones. ASD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects an average portion of world’s population but still there is an urge to analyze the pathophysiology of ASD under COVID-19. The risk factors such as comorbidities or biomarkers are to be identified which may incline an individual with COVID-19 to neurological manifestations including severity of CNS. Along with the multiple mechanism of neurological injury, this chapter also discusses the requirement of additional support towards the ASD individuals and their families during the COVID-19 outbreak. Moreover, it also focuses on the prognosis and diagnosis of ASD using AI techniques. Further, a glimpse of the therapeutics for ASD based on AI techniques is provided.