New Theory of Autism suggests symptoms or disorder may be reversible

[Guest guest]

 

 

 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090401145312.htm

 

New Theory Of Autism Suggests Symptoms Or Disorder May Be Reversible

ScienceDaily

 

(Apr. 2, 2009) — Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva

University have proposed a sweeping new theory of autism that suggests that the

brains of people with autism are structurally normal but dysregulated, meaning

symptoms of the disorder might be reversible.

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -

See also:

Health & Medicine

•Birth Defects

•Children's Health

•Infant's Health

Mind & Brain

•Autism

•Disorders and Syndromes

•Child Development

Reference

•Autistic spectrum

•Gluten-free, casein-free diet

•Rett syndrome

•Social cognition

The central tenet of the theory, published in the March issue of Brain Research

Reviews, is that autism is a developmental disorder caused by impaired

regulation of the locus coeruleus, a bundle of neurons in the brain stem that

processes sensory signals from all areas of the body.

The new theory stems from decades of anecdotal observations that some autistic

children seem to improve when they have a fever, only to regress when the fever

ebbs. A 2007 study in the journal Pediatrics took a more rigorous look at fever

and autism, observing autistic children during and after fever episodes and

comparing their behavior with autistic children who didn't have fevers. This

study documented that autistic children experience behavior changes during

fever.

" On a positive note, we are talking about a brain region that is not irrevocably

altered. It gives us hope that, with novel therapies, we will eventually be able

to help people with autism, " says theory co-author Mark F. Mehler, M.D.,

chairman of neurology and director of the Institute for Brain Disorders and

Neural Regeneration at Einstein.

Autism is a complex developmental disability that affects a person's ability to

communicate and interact with others. It usually appears during the first three

years of life. Autism is called a " spectrum disorder " since it affects

individuals differently and to varying degrees. It is estimated that one in

every 150 American children has some degree of autism.

Einstein researchers contend that scientific evidence directly points to the

locus coeruleus–noradrener gic (LC-NA) system as being involved in autism.

" The LC-NA system is the only brain system involved both in producing fever and

controlling behavior, " says co-author Dominick P. Purpura, M.D., dean emeritus

and distinguished professor of neuroscience at Einstein.

The locus coeruleus has widespread connections to brain regions that process

sensory information. It secretes most of the brain's noradrenaline, a

neurotransmitter that plays a key role in arousal mechanisms, such as the " fight

or flight " response. It is also involved in a variety of complex behaviors, such

as attentional focusing (the ability to concentrate attention on environmental

cues relevant to the task in hand, or to switch attention from one task to

another). Poor attentional focusing is a defining characteristic of autism.

" What is unique about the locus coeruleus is that it activates almost all

higher-order brain centers that are involved in complex cognitive tasks, " says

Dr. Mehler.

Drs. Purpura and Mehler hypothesize that in autism, the LC-NA system is

dysregulated by the interplay of environment, genetic, and epigenetic factors

(chemical substances both within as well as outside the genome that regulate the

expression of genes). They believe that stress plays a central role in

dysregulation of the LC-NA system, especially in the latter stages of prenatal

development when the fetal brain is particularly vulnerable.

As evidence, the researchers point to a 2008 study, published in the Journal of

Autism and Developmental Disorders, that found a higher incidence of autism

among children whose mothers had been exposed to hurricanes and tropical storms

during pregnancy. Maternal exposure to severe storms at mid-gestation resulted

in the highest prevalence of autism.

Drs. Purpura and Mehler believe that, in autistic children, fever stimulates the

LC-NA system, temporarily restoring its normal regulatory function. " This could

not happen if autism was caused by a lesion or some structural abnormality of

the brain, " says Dr. Purpura.

" This gives us hope that we will eventually be able to do something for people

with autism, " he adds.

The researchers do not advocate fever therapy (fever induced by artificial

means), which would be an overly broad, and perhaps even dangerous, remedy.

Instead, they say, the future of autism treatment probably lies in drugs that

selectively target certain types of noradrenergic brain receptors or, more

likely, in epigenetic therapies targeting genes of the LC-NA system.

" If the locus coeruleus is impaired in autism, it is probably because tens or

hundreds, maybe even thousands, of genes are dysregulated in subtle and complex

ways, " says Dr. Mehler. " The only way you can reverse this process is with

epigenetic therapies, which, we are beginning to learn, have the ability to

coordinate very large integrated gene networks. "

" The message here is one of hope but also one of caution, " Dr. Mehler adds. " You

can't take a complex neuropsychiatric disease that has escaped our understanding

for 50 years and in one fell swoop have a therapy that is going to reverse it

— that's folly. On the other hand, we now have clues to the neurobiology, the

genetics, and the epigenetics of autism. To move forward, we need to invest more

money in basic science to look at the genome and the epigenome in a more focused

way. "

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -

Journal reference:

1.Mehler et al. Autism, fever, epigenetics and the locus coeruleus. Brain

Research Reviews, 2009; 59 (2): 388 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresr ev.2008.11. 001

Adapted from materials provided by Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Love, Gabby. :0)

http://stemcellforautism.blogspot.com/

 

" I know of nobody who is purely Autistic or purely neurotypical. Even God had

some Autistic moments, which is why the planets all spin. " ~ Jerry Newport

 

 

[Guest guest]

I totally agree that this may be reversible w/ some..but it is an extremely

varied & complex disorder and so it wouldn't apply to all.

From:

[mailto: ] On Behalf Of a DeVelbiss

Sent: Thursday, April 02, 2009 12:09 PM

Stem Cell for autism 2; AUTISM-togetherinautismorg ;

alternative-autismhealing ; mb12 valtrex ;

; SymphonicHealth ;

; VitaminK ; gfcfrecipes ;

GAPShelp ; india_developmentaldisabilities ;

glyco_powered ; healing-low-functioning-autism ;

myelinsheathprotein ; tracyautismparentsgroup ;

valleysnafu ; ASA-ChapterNetwork

Subject: [ ] New Theory of Autism suggests symptoms or

disorder may be reversible

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090401145312.htm

New Theory Of Autism Suggests Symptoms Or Disorder May Be Reversible

ScienceDaily

(Apr. 2, 2009) — Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva

University have proposed a sweeping new theory of autism that suggests that the

brains of people with autism are structurally normal but dysregulated, meaning

symptoms of the disorder might be reversible.

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -

See also:

Health & Medicine

•Birth Defects

•Children's Health

•Infant's Health

Mind & Brain

•Autism

•Disorders and Syndromes

•Child Development

Reference

•Autistic spectrum

•Gluten-free, casein-free diet

•Rett syndrome

•Social cognition

The central tenet of the theory, published in the March issue of Brain Research

Reviews, is that autism is a developmental disorder caused by impaired

regulation of the locus coeruleus, a bundle of neurons in the brain stem that

processes sensory signals from all areas of the body.

The new theory stems from decades of anecdotal observations that some autistic

children seem to improve when they have a fever, only to regress when the fever

ebbs. A 2007 study in the journal Pediatrics took a more rigorous look at fever

and autism, observing autistic children during and after fever episodes and

comparing their behavior with autistic children who didn't have fevers. This

study documented that autistic children experience behavior changes during

fever.

" On a positive note, we are talking about a brain region that is not irrevocably

altered. It gives us hope that, with novel therapies, we will eventually be able

to help people with autism, " says theory co-author Mark F. Mehler, M.D.,

chairman of neurology and director of the Institute for Brain Disorders and

Neural Regeneration at Einstein.

Autism is a complex developmental disability that affects a person's ability to

communicate and interact with others. It usually appears during the first three

years of life. Autism is called a " spectrum disorder " since it affects

individuals differently and to varying degrees. It is estimated that one in

every 150 American children has some degree of autism.

Einstein researchers contend that scientific evidence directly points to the

locus coeruleus–noradrener gic (LC-NA) system as being involved in autism.

" The LC-NA system is the only brain system involved both in producing fever and

controlling behavior, " says co-author Dominick P. Purpura, M.D., dean emeritus

and distinguished professor of neuroscience at Einstein.

The locus coeruleus has widespread connections to brain regions that process

sensory information. It secretes most of the brain's noradrenaline, a

neurotransmitter that plays a key role in arousal mechanisms, such as the " fight

or flight " response. It is also involved in a variety of complex behaviors, such

as attentional focusing (the ability to concentrate attention on environmental

cues relevant to the task in hand, or to switch attention from one task to

another). Poor attentional focusing is a defining characteristic of autism.

" What is unique about the locus coeruleus is that it activates almost all

higher-order brain centers that are involved in complex cognitive tasks, " says

Dr. Mehler.

Drs. Purpura and Mehler hypothesize that in autism, the LC-NA system is

dysregulated by the interplay of environment, genetic, and epigenetic factors

(chemical substances both within as well as outside the genome that regulate the

expression of genes). They believe that stress plays a central role in

dysregulation of the LC-NA system, especially in the latter stages of prenatal

development when the fetal brain is particularly vulnerable.

As evidence, the researchers point to a 2008 study, published in the Journal of

Autism and Developmental Disorders, that found a higher incidence of autism

among children whose mothers had been exposed to hurricanes and tropical storms

during pregnancy. Maternal exposure to severe storms at mid-gestation resulted

in the highest prevalence of autism.

Drs. Purpura and Mehler believe that, in autistic children, fever stimulates the

LC-NA system, temporarily restoring its normal regulatory function. " This could

not happen if autism was caused by a lesion or some structural abnormality of

the brain, " says Dr. Purpura.

" This gives us hope that we will eventually be able to do something for people

with autism, " he adds.

The researchers do not advocate fever therapy (fever induced by artificial

means), which would be an overly broad, and perhaps even dangerous, remedy.

Instead, they say, the future of autism treatment probably lies in drugs that

selectively target certain types of noradrenergic brain receptors or, more

likely, in epigenetic therapies targeting genes of the LC-NA system.

" If the locus coeruleus is impaired in autism, it is probably because tens or

hundreds, maybe even thousands, of genes are dysregulated in subtle and complex

ways, " says Dr. Mehler. " The only way you can reverse this process is with

epigenetic therapies, which, we are beginning to learn, have the ability to

coordinate very large integrated gene networks. "

" The message here is one of hope but also one of caution, " Dr. Mehler adds. " You

can't take a complex neuropsychiatric disease that has escaped our understanding

for 50 years and in one fell swoop have a therapy that is going to reverse it

— that's folly. On the other hand, we now have clues to the neurobiology, the

genetics, and the epigenetics of autism. To move forward, we need to invest more

money in basic science to look at the genome and the epigenome in a more focused

way. "

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -

Journal reference:

1.Mehler et al. Autism, fever, epigenetics and the locus coeruleus. Brain

Research Reviews, 2009; 59 (2): 388 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresr ev.2008.11. 001

Adapted from materials provided by Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Love, Gabby. :0)

http://stemcellforautism.blogspot.com/

" I know of nobody who is purely Autistic or purely neurotypical. Even God had

some Autistic moments, which is why the planets all spin. " ~ Jerry Newport