Home > Health Conditions > Autism

Autism

Alternative News:

• Ketamine Promising for Rare Condition Linked to Autism - Medscape, 9/12/22 - "Using parent-report instruments to assess treatment effects, ketamine was associated with "nominally significant" improvement in a variety of domains, including social behavior, attention-deficit and hyperactivity, restricted and repetitive behaviors, and sensory sensitivities"
• Fish oil supplementation may improve attention, working memory, and ADHD symptoms in adults with autism spectrum disorder: A randomized crossover trial - Br J Nutr 2022 Feb 11 - "Our results did not show any effects on ASD symptoms, but suggest that FO may improve attention and working memory in adults with ASD and ameliorate ADHD symptoms in those with comorbid ADHD" - See omega-3 supplements at Amazon.com.
• Prenatal Vitamins May Lower 2nd Child Autism Risk - WebMD, 2/27/19 - "Whereas other studies have shown that prenatal vitamins reduce the overall likelihood of having a first child with ASD, this new study suggests that mothers who already have a child with ASD can reduce their risk of having another, similarly affected child," he said ... "Although there are already many good reasons for women to begin taking prenatal vitamins … this study lends further support to their potential benefits for women already at increased risk for having another child with ASD," Adesman added ... "If the findings from this study are replicated by other researchers, then something as simple and inexpensive as taking prenatal vitamins prior to conception can significantly reduce the likelihood of a woman having a second child with ASD," - See prenatal vitamins with dha and folic acid at Amazon.com.
• Autism and zinc deficiency in early development - Science Daily, 11/9/18 - "This suggests that a lack of zinc during early development might contribute to autism through impaired synaptic maturation and neuronal circuit formation"
• Vitamin A and vitamin D deficiencies exacerbate symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorders - Nutr Neurosci. 2018 Jan 16:1-11 - "We found that children with autism have more VA and VD deficiencies than control children, and VA and VD co-deficiency may exacerbate the symptoms of children with ASD"
• Low vitamin D levels at birth linked to higher autism risk - Science Daily, 11/29/17 - "When the 310 children with ASDs were compared with 1,240 control subjects, the risk of ASDs was significantly increased in each of the three lower quartiles of vitamin D level at birth, when compared with the highest quartile: an increased risk of ASDs by 260 percent in the lowest quartile, 150 percent in the second quartile, and 90 percent in the third quartile"
• Link between Vitamin D treatment and autism prevention - Science Daily, 3/17/17 - "We found that pregnant females treated with active vitamin D in the equivalent of the first trimester of pregnancy produced offspring that did not develop these deficits"
• Treatment restores sociability in autism mouse model - Science Daily, 1/22/15 - "Now researchers at UCLA have treated ASD mice with a neuropeptide--molecules used by neurons to communicate with each other--called oxytocin, and have found that it restores normal social behavior. In addition, the findings suggest that giving oxytocin as early as possible in the animal's life leads to more lasting effects in adults and adolescents ... In the ASD mice, the researchers found a decrease in the number of oxytocin neurons in the hypothalamus and, overall, a decrease in oxytocin levels throughout the brain. But when they administered oxytocin to the ASD mice, sociability, defined as time spent interacting normally with other mice, was restored" - See Oxy Pro (Oxytocin) Nasal Spray at International Anti-aging Systems.
• Broccoli Compound Shows Promise for Autism Symptoms in Small Study - WebMD, 10/13/14 - "recruited 44 boys and young men, aged 13 to 27, with moderate to severe autism. They were randomly assigned to take either sulforaphane capsules or identical-looking placebo capsules every day for 18 weeks ... Based on parents' reports, many of the boys taking the extract started showing improvements in irritability, repetitive behaviors, hyperactivity and communication by the fourth week ... 46 percent of the sulforaphane group were showing improved social interactions by week 18. Another 42 percent were faring better with verbal communication, and 54 percent were reining in various "aberrant" behaviors ... None of those taking the placebo had improvements in social interactions or verbal communications" - [Science Daily] - [Abstract] - See sulforaphane at Amazon.com.
• Mothers of children with autism less likely to have taken iron supplements in pregnancy, study shows -- ScienceDaily - Science Daily, 9/22/14 - "Low iron intake was associated with a five-fold greater risk of autism in the child if the mother was 35 or older at the time of the child's birth or if she suffered from metabolic conditions such as obesity hypertension or diabetes ... The association between lower maternal iron intake and increased ASD risk was strongest during breastfeeding, after adjustment for folic acid intake ... Iron deficiency, and its resultant anemia, is the most common nutrient deficiency, especially during pregnancy, affecting 40 to 50 percent of women and their infants ... Iron is crucial to early brain development, contributing to neurotransmitter production, myelination and immune function. All three of these pathways have been associated with autism" - See iron supplements at Amazon.com and folic acid products at Amazon.com.
• Causal link found between vitamin D, serotonin synthesis and autism in new study - Science Daily, 2/26/14 - "serotonin, oxytocin, and vasopressin, three brain hormones that affect social behavior, are all activated by vitamin D hormone ... adequate levels of vitamin D may be required to produce serotonin in the brain where it shapes the structure and wiring of the brain, acts as a neurotransmitter, and affects social behavior ... The current guidelines for adequate vitamin D levels are concentrations above 30 ng/ml ... greater than 70% of U.S. population does not meet this requirement and that adequate vitamin D levels have plummeted over the last couple of decades. This precipitous drop in adequate levels of vitamin D in the US is concurrent with the rise in autism ... dietary intervention with vitamin D, tryptophan and omega 3 fatty acids would boost brain serotonin concentrations and help prevent and possibly ameliorate some of the symptoms associated with ASD without side effects" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.
• Probiotic therapy alleviates autism-like behaviors in mice - Science Daily, 12/5/13 - "the researchers treated the mice with Bacteroides fragilis, a bacterium that has been used as an experimental probiotic therapy in animal models of GI disorders ... The result? The leaky gut was corrected ... In addition, observations of the treated mice showed that their behavior had changed. In particular, they were more likely to communicate with other mice, had reduced anxiety, and were less likely to engage in a repetitive digging behavior ... The B. fragilis treatment alleviates GI problems in the mouse model and also improves some of the main behavioral symptoms ... This suggests that GI problems could contribute to particular symptoms in neurodevelopmental disorders" - See probiotic products at Amazon.com.
• Oxytocin Found to Stimulate Social Brain Regions in Children With Autism - NYTimes.com, 12/2/13 - "the first study of how oxytocin affects the brains of children with autism finds hints of promise — and also suggestions of what its limitations might be ... the hormone, given as an inhalant, generated increased activity in parts of the brain involved in social connection. This suggests not only that oxytocin can stimulate social brain areas, but also that in children with autism these brain regions are not irrevocably damaged but are plastic enough to be influenced" - See Oxy Pro (Oxytocin) Nasal Spray at International Anti-aging Systems.
• Amino acid offers potential therapeutic alternative in psychiatric disorders - Science Daily, 10/8/13 - "drug discovery is at a near standstill for treating psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression and common forms of autism ... According to Professor Berk, there is now an incontrovertible evidence base that these disorders share inflammation and oxidative stress as part of their disease physiology ... The amino acid, NAC, seems to have multiple effects on all these pathways: it boosts glutathione, which is the body’s major antioxidant defence; has anti-inflammatory properties; enhances levels of nerve cell growth proteins and the growth of new neurons; and reduces cell death pathways. It also appears to reduce dysfunction of mitochondria ... NAC reduces the core symptoms of schizophrenia including negative symptoms such as improved apathy, social interaction and motivation. It also appears to reduce depression in people with bipolar disorder and at this meeting ... there is intriguing evidence that it reduces cravings in a number of addictions including cocaine, cannabis and cigarette smoking" - See n-acetyl cysteine at Amazon.com.
• 'Love Hormone' May Play Wider Role in Social Interaction Than Previously Thought - Science Daily, 9/11/13 - "The new study suggests that oxytocin's role in one-on-one bonding probably evolved from an existing, broader affinity for group living ... The new study, published Sept. 12 in Nature, pinpoints a unique way in which oxytocin alters activity in a part of the brain that is crucial to experiencing the pleasant sensation neuroscientists call "reward." The findings not only provide validity for ongoing trials of oxytocin in autistic patients, but also suggest possible new treatments for neuropsychiatric conditions in which social activity is impaired ... The new discovery shows that mice do indeed have oxytocin receptors at a key location in the nucleus accumbens and, importantly, that blocking oxytocin's activity there significantly diminishes these animals' appetite for socializing" - Note:  Way too much detail in that article.  A good read for insomnia.  See Oxy Pro (Oxytocin) Nasal Spray at International Anti-aging Systems.
• Intranasal Oxytocin Normalizes Core ASD Deficit - Medscape, 5/10/13 - "In autism, there are 3 basic deficits — social communication, repetitive behavior, and fixated or restricted interest, where children get fixated on a particular pattern or sensory stimulation and have difficulty paying attention to other, more socially relevant cues ... oxytocin has some effect on all 3 aspects of autism behavior, including now fixated interest ... ASD children process facial emotions differently from typically developing children, and if they are missing out on information about facial emotion, "that is a lot of information they're not able to take in, so this may have a cascading effect on developing appropriate emotional responses,"" - See Oxy Pro (Oxytocin) Nasal Spray at International Anti-aging Systems.
• Autism and Folic Acid in Pregnancy - Medscape, 5/7/13 - "The investigators concluded that maternal use of folic acid from 4 weeks before conception through 8 weeks after conception was associated with a lower odds of the offspring being diagnosed with ASD" - See folic acid products at Amazon.com.

Other News:

• Autism: Study looks at ability to identify anger in facial expressions - Science Daily, 6/2/21
• Higher levels of several toxic metals found in children with autism - Science Daily, 2/25/13 - "The autism group had significantly higher levels of lead in their red blood cells (+41 percent) and significantly higher urinary levels of lead (+74 percent), thallium (+77 percent), tin (+115 percent), and tungsten (+44 percent) ... Adams previously published a study on the use of DMSA, an FDA-approved medication for removing toxic metals. The open-label study found that DMSA was generally safe and effective at removing some toxic metals. It also found that DMSA therapy improved some symptoms of autism"
  • Dimercaptosuccinic acid - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - "Meso 2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid binds to "soft" heavy metals such as Hg2+ and Pb2+, mobilizing these ions for excretion. It binds to metal cations through the thiol groups, which ionize upon complexation ... Dimercaptosuccinic acid (CHEMET) is indicated for the treatment of lead poisoning in children with blood level measured above 45 µg/dL. The use of DMSA is not approved for prophylactic/prevention of lead poisoning in anticipation of exposure in known lead contaminated environments. Its elimination half-life is 2.5-3.5 h. DMSA can cross the blood–brain barrier of mice,[5] but not that of humans, limiting its use to extracting heavy metals from parts of the body other than the central nervous system"