Archive for the ‘Autism’ Category
Autism Workshop: Gut impairment, nutritional, & metabolic deficiencies in ASD
Professor James Adams.
Organised by Autism Treatment Trust & Autism Research Institute
Edinburgh 20th July 2011
Autism Treatment Trust is organizing in conjunction with Autism Research Institute a one-day workshop with Prof. James Adams, Professor at Arizona State University, Director of the Autism/Asperger’s Research Program.
It is an exciting time for Autism. More and more studies are coming out backing up the many anecdotal reports from parents, showing that indeed a biomedical approach for treating autism has benefits. More and more reports are confirming the gut, nutritional and health issues reported. Come along to this one-day workshop to learn more about the outcomes of Prof. James Adams’ s research.
Learn More: Attend Workshops led by Professor James Adams in Edinburgh 20th July 2011.
Registration continues for workshops set for our special venues in Edinburgh at the Royal Botanical Garden – seating is limited.
Price: £75.00 £60.00 2nd person
Register online www.loreneamet.net
Questions?
Contact Autism Treatment Trust on 0131 558 7444 or by e-mail: admin@autismtrust.org.uk
Financial Aid available for household income under £30,000/year. Please email us for more information on how to apply. autismconferences@gmail.com
James B. Adams, Ph.D., is Professor at Arizona State University, where he directs the Autism/Asperger’s Research Program. He has conducted many research studies on the causes of autism and how to treat it, including studies of nutritional status (vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, amino acids), neurotransmitters, glutathione therapy, toxic metals, gastrointestinal abnormalities and treatments, immune problems/treatments, sleep disorders, and seizures. He is the author of more than 20 scientific research papers on autism, and the “Summary of Biomedical Treatments for Autism” published by the Autism Research Institute, He is the President of the Autism Society of Greater Phoenix, and the Co-Leader of the Science Think Tank for the Autism Research Institute. He is the proud father of a son and two daughters; one is a teen-age daughter with autism.
A new study published in the journal Nutrition and Metabolism evaluates the nutritional and metabolic status of 55 children with autism spectrum disorders compared to 44 neurotypical children of similar age and gender.Compared to the neurotypical children, children with autism had significantly worse nutritional and metabolic status, as detailed below.Read the full version of the paper online for free
Highlights of the study:
- The findings of low levels of ATP (a major fuel for the body and the brain) suggest that children with autism have impaired mitochondrial function (decreased energy production).
- The findings of lower levels of biotin and other vitamins, and biomarkers indicating increased need for vitamins, strongly suggests that vitamin/mineral supplementation would be helpful for most children with autism.
- The findings of low levels of reduced glutathione, and increased levels of oxidized glutathione, are consistent with several studies by James et al. Glutathione is a major anti-oxidant, and a major defense against toxic metals/chemicals. The findings of low levels of NADPH at least partially explains the increased oxidation of glutathione, because NADPH is the co-factor required to convert oxidized glutathione to reduced (active) glutathione.
- The finding of low levels of SAM is consistent with several studies by James et al. SAM is the primary methyl donor in the body, and is important for methylation (activation/deactivation/modification) of DNA, RNA, proteins, phospholipids, and neurotransmitters. Uridine, a biomarker of methylation status, was also significantly elevated, which confirms a significant impairment in methylation. ATP is the co-factor needed to convert methionine to SAM, so low levels of ATP likely contributes to the decreased level of SAM.
- The finding of very low levels of sulfate replicates several studies by Waring et al. Sulfate is the third most abundant mineral in the body, and sulfation is one of the major ways in which the liver detoxifies chemicals. It appears that children with autism cannot recycle sulfate in their kidneys (partly due to lower levels of ATP), resulting in increased loss of sulfate in the urine, and decreased levels in the body. It appears that most children with autism need substantial sulfate therapy (MSM supplements or Epsom salt baths).
- The finding of low levels of ATP, NADH, and NADPH is interesting because all are formed from ribose, and a recent study (Freedenfeld et al) found that ribose therapy and NADH therapy were each able to improve levels of ATP, NADH, NADPH, SAM, and/or ribose.
- The findings of low levels of tryptophan, an essential amino acid, suggests that children with autism would have low levels of serotonin (an important neurotransmitter) and melatonin (the hormone that induces sleep), since tryptophan is converted into serotonin and then melatonin. This suggests that tryptophan supplementation may be helpful.
- The findings of low level of lithium confirms an earlier study by Adams et al, which found lower levels of lithium in young children with autism and their mothers. Lithium is possibly an essential mineral, and low levels of lithum are associated with a wide range of psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia and aggressive behavior. This suggests that low levels of lithium supplementation may be helpful.
- The lead author of the study, Prof. James Adams of Arizona State University, states that “This extensive study revealed many nutritional and metabolic abnormalities in children with autism. The good news is that they should all be easily treatable with appropriate nutritional supplementation.” This paper is the first of several papers on a large study conducted by Arizona State University to evaluate and treat nutritional and metabolic problems in children with autism by the use of a customized vitamin/mineral supplement. The supplement used in that study has now been commercialized under the brand name Syndion.
This study was funded by the Autism Research Institute and the Legacy Foundation.
The Summary of Biomedical Treatments by Prof. Adams is available for free at http://autism.asu.edu, or at www.autism.com.
Several recent papers by Prof. Adams (and funded by the Autism Research Institute) include the following:
Biochemical Effects of Ribose and NADH Therapy in Children with Autism, Freedenfeld S, Hamada K, Audhya T, Adams JB. Autism Insights, 2011:3 3-13
Traditional and non-traditional treatments for autism spectrum disorder with seizures: an on-line survey, Frye RE, Sreenivasula S., Adams JB, BMC Pediatrics 2011, 11:37.
Gut Flora and Gut Problems Adams JB, Johansen LJ, Powell LD, Quig D, Rubin RA, Gastrointestinal Flora and Gastrointestinal Status in Children with Autism — Comparisons to Neurotypical Children and Correlation with Autism Severity, BMC Gastroenterology 2011, 11:22 (16 March 2011).
What is autism, really?
Earlier this month, I ran across two different reports summing up two very different ways legitimate autism researchers are approaching the biological mechanisms behind cognitive difference. Although studies have found genetic correlations, nobody knows the exact cause of autism. And that’s led to a couple of interesting approaches.
On the one hand you have Joachim Hallmayer, one of several researchers interviewed for a story in Stanford University magazine, who think that what we call “autism” is actually a number of different, distinct biological differences, something that would account for the wide range of symptoms, severity, and associated disorders. These researchers talk about autism as a series of subgroups—defined by particular genetic and chromosomal abnormalities. One example:
It’s long been known that about 5 percent of autistic kids have a chromosomal abnormality that can be seen under a microscope –part of a chromosome is missing, duplicated or in the wrong place. Because these changes affect a large number of genes, the children often have many problems in addition to autism. What wasn’t known until recently is that we all have slight imperfections in our chromosomes–small regions of DNA that are duplicated or deleted. When these stretches of DNA contain genes, people can end up with one or three copies of the genes instead of the standard two.
Technological advances have made it possible to detect these “copy-number variants,” or CNVs. And it turns out they’re important in autism and some psychiatric disorders. For example, a region of chromosome 16–containing about 25 genes, some involved in brain function and development–is deleted or duplicated in 1 to 2 percent of people with autism (and some with schizophrenia). Hallmayer and his colleagues scanned the genomes of thousands of people with autism and 2,000 healthy individuals looking for rare CNVs. They found that children with autism had more rare CNVs that overlapped genes, including genes previously implicated in autism. Some CNVs were inherited from a parent, but some arose spontaneously in the child, likely due to a genetic error in the sperm or egg.
What is Autism and how to deal with autism
Berikut ini artikel yang diambil dari Autism Society of America…. Pembahasan mengenai apakah itu autisme, gejala2nya, pendekatan yang bisa dilakukan kepada penyandang autis, sibling issues (pembahasan mengenai saudara kandung anak penyandang autis) Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the brain, impacting development in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. Both children and adults with autism typically show difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interactions, and leisure or play activities. One should keep in mind however, that autism is a spectrum disorder and it affects each individual differently and at varying degrees – this is why early diagnosis is so crucial. By learning the signs, a child can begin benefiting from one of the many specialized intervention programs. Autism is one of five disorders that falls under the umbrella of Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD), a category of neurological disorders characterized by “severe and pervasive impairment in several areas of development.” The five disorders under PDD are: • Autistic Disorder • Asperger’s Disorder • Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD) • Rett’s Disorder • PDD-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) Each of these disorders has specific diagnostic criteria which been outlined in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR). Read the rest of this entry »
