Problem behavior in autism spectrum disorders: A paradigmatic self-organized perspective of network structures.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) subjects can present temporary behaviors of acute agitation and aggressiveness, named problem behaviors. They have been shown to be consistent with the self-organized criticality (SOC), a model wherein occasionally occurring "catastrophic events" are necessary in order to maintain a self-organized "critical equilibrium." The SOC can represent the psychopathology network structures and additionally suggests that they can be considered as self-organized systems.

The gastrointestinal-brain axis in humans as an evolutionary advance of the root-leaf axis in plants: A hypothesis linking quantum effects of light on serotonin and auxin.

Living organisms tend to find viable strategies under ambient conditions that optimize their search for, and utilization of, life-sustaining resources. For plants, a leading role in this process is performed by auxin, a plant hormone that drives morphological development, dynamics, and movement to optimize the absorption of light (through branches and leaves) and chemical "food" (through roots). Similarly to auxin in plants, serotonin seems to play an important role in higher animals, especially humans. Here, it is proposed that morphological and functional similarities between (i) plant leaves and the animal/human brain and (ii) plant roots and the animal/human gastro-intestinal tract have general features in common. Plants interact with light and use it for biological energy, whereas, neurons in the central nervous system seem to interact with biophotons and use them for proper brain function. Further, as auxin drives the "arborescence" of roots within the soil, similarly serotonin seems to facilitate enteric nervous system connectivity within the human gastrointestinal tract. This auxin/serotonin parallel suggests the root-branch axis in plants may be an evolutionary precursor to the gastrointestinal-brain axis in humans. Finally, it is hypothesized that light might be an important factor, both in gastrointestinal dynamics and brain function. Such a comparison may indicate a key role for the interaction of light and serotonin in neuronal physiology (possibly in both the central nervous system and the enteric nervous system), and according to recent work, mind and consciousness.