Guest guest Posted April 6, 2007 Report Share Posted April 6, 2007 VERY interesting information! As a teacher I saw a lot more behavior problems and learning disabilities in students, more than I thought was normal. As for Autism, I have thought for some time that it is something environmental that triggers it. This article sure makes you wonder, doesn't it?!!!!!! Sue > > Autism: It's Not Just in the Head > > The devastating derangements of autism also show up in the gut and in the > immune system. That unexpected discovery is sparking new treatments that > target the body in addition to the brain. > > by Jill Neimark, Discover > > March 22, 2007 > > _http://discovermagahttp://dihttp://dihttp://discoverhttp://dihttp://_ (http://discovermagazine.com/2007/apr/autism-it2019s-not-just-in-the-) head > > > Article Summary: > Autism, traditionally seen as genetic and originating in the brain, is > starting to be viewed in a broader and very different light, as a possible > immune and neuroinflammatory disorder. As a result, autism is beginning to > look like a condition that can, in some and perhaps many cases, be > successfully treated. A disparate group -- immunologists, naturopaths, > neuroscientists, and toxicologists -- is turning up clues that are yielding > novel strategies to help autistic patients. > > New studies are examining contributing factors ranging from vaccine > reactions to atypical growth in the placenta, abnormal tissue in the gut, > inflamed tissue in the brain, food allergies and disturbed brain wave > synchrony. Some clinicians are using genetic test results to recommend > unconventional nutritional therapies, and others employ drugs to fight > viruses and quell inflammation. > > Above all, there is a new emphasis on the interaction between vulnerable > genes and environmental triggers, along with a growing sense that low-dose, > multiple toxic and infectious exposures may be a major contributing factor > to autism and its related disorders. One can distill a few revolutionary > insights from among the many potential avenues of research. First, autism > may not be rigidly determined but instead may be related to common gene > variants, called polymorphisms, that may be derailed by environmental > triggers. Second, affected genes may disturb fundamental pathways in the > body and lead to chronic inflammation across the brain, immune system, and > digestive system. Third, inflammation is treatable. > > Harvard pediatric neurologist Martha Herbert has authored a 14,000- word > paper in the journal Clinical Neuropsychiatry that reconceptualizes the > universe of autism, pulling the brain down from its privileged perch as an > organ isolated from the rest of the body. " What I believe is happening is > that genes and environment interact, either in a fetus or young child, > changing cellular function all over the body, which then affects tissue and > metabolism in many vulnerable organs. And it's the interaction of this > collection of troubles that leads to altered sensory processing and impaired > coordination in the brain. A brain with these kinds of problems produces the > abnormal behaviors that we call autism. " > > Each child's path to autism may be distinct, she says, but they may share > common inflammatory abnormalities. She has shown through morphometric brain > imaging that white matter -- which carries impulses between neurons -- is > larger in children with autism. If white matter is chronically inflamed, > then one potential treatment approach is to down-regulate the brain's immune > response. > > Jill , director of the Autism Metabolic Genomics Laboratory at the > Arkansas Children's Hospital Research Institute (and professor of pediatrics > at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences) has found that many > children with autism do not make as much of a compound called glutathione as > neurotypical children do. Glutathione is the cell's most abundant > antioxidant, and it is crucial for removing toxins. If cells lack sufficient > antioxidants, they experience oxidative stress, which is often found with > chronic inflammation. Oxidative stress in some autistic children may be > treatable with targeted nutritional intervention. > > Genetic vulnerability -- related to immune system, brain, and gut - - must > also be considered. Pat Levitt, director of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center > for Research on Human Development, and his colleagues recently discovered > that a common variant of a gene called MET doubles the risk of autism. The > finding was widely regarded as a breakthrough because MET modulates the > nervous system, gut, and immune system -- just the kind of finding that > matches up with the emerging new view of autism. > > The gene variant occurs in 47 percent of the population -- in other words, > it is just one contributing factor, and it probably works in concert with > other vulnerability genes. The activity of the gene is affected by what is > known as oxidative stress -- the kind of damage one sees with excessive > exposure to toxins. Several large-scale, federally funded epidemiological > studies are under way to pinpoint possible environmental triggers, as well > as early biomarkers of autism. The trick is to build a large enough study to > be able to look at both genes and environment together. An ambitious study, > called the Autism Birth Cohort, by Columbia University and the Norwegian > Institute of Public Health will follow 100,000 pregnant women for 72 months, > studying their health and genetics and testing everything from blood to > urine samples. ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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