The current consensus of opinion is towards a biological basis for the symptoms of infantile autism. Animal studies dealing with the pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC)-system and the neuroregulation of the basic defects of infantile autism (social disturbances, difficulties in information processing and stereotyped behavior) are summarized. The neuro-endocrine hypothesis of Panksepp is discussed. A modification of this hypothesis is proposed which is more in line with the results of the animal studies. A dysbalance between the functional antagonist-parts of the POMC, bèta-endorphin and ACTH-fragments, is supposed.

Finally, neuro-endocrine evidence for this hypothesis from human studies with autistic children is explored.