Autism – Dr. Alex Schuss on Autism
It is the opinion of some scientists working at the University of Arkansas School of Medical Sciences in Little Rock that autistic children share a chronic flaw in the body’s natural defenses against oxygen free radicals that can severely damage developing brain cells. In an article written by Robert Lee Hotz in April 2005, it was reported that:
“Researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock found that a single breakdown in the body’s metabolism might underlie many of the puzzling symptoms of autism, a complex developmental disability with a spectrum of behaviors. “This is a very promising thing to look at because it gets at the actual metabolic processes in the brain,” said UCLA neurologist George Bartzokis, who did not participate in the research. “The brain is especially vulnerable to damage from free radicals,” Those with autism typically have difficulty communicating and interacting with other people. It strikes some in infancy. Other children may develop normally for several years before failing into a private word where normal social interaction and behavior become impossible. The new findings also may help shed light on the condition’s range in severity because maturing neurons and synapses are especially vulnerable to this biomolecular bombardment.
Autism could therefore cause different symptoms and degrees of severity in children depending on when the disorder is triggered. Normally, the body shields itself from such damage with a chemical produced by every cell called glutathione, which neutralizes oxygen free radicals. It binds to them, altering their electron balance and sees them safety expelled from the body. By analyzing blood samples from 95 autistic children and 75 healthy ones, researchers led by biochemist S.Jill James at the University of Arkansas determined that levels of this protective antioxidant were abnormally low in many autistic children. They presented their work at the Experimental Biology 2005 conference in San Diego. The finding is suggestive, several experts said, because glutathione also is crucial for neutralizing toxic heavy metals such as mercury, which is found in food, the air and, at one time, a vaccine preservative called thimerosal.
“When gluathione is less available, then it is easier for things to get out of balance and the free radicals can cause damage,” James said. “One interpretation of this finding is that children with autism would be less able to detoxify and eliminate these heavy metals.” The researchers cautioned that they do not know whether this metabolic flaw precedes the disorder or is one of its symptoms. Indeed, no one knows what causes autism, which has increased in prevalence 10-fold during the last 15 years. So far, there is no medical test that can identify it reliably. Most experts agree that autism most probably gives the interaction of many genes that together predispose a child to the condition, combined with some outside factor that triggers the disorder. No one has identified any genes for autism, nor is there any consensus on what environmental factor is involved, “We have added now the fact that there may also be a metabolic component that reflects both the underlying genetics and the environment,” James said.”
Through years of contact with Dr. Rimland I managed to keep up on some of the research he was involved with on autism. On August 18, 2006, it was reported that researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine discovered that children with autism showed signs of abnormal blood-vessel function and damaging levels of oxidative stress compared to healthy children. This further suggested a link between autism and abnormal blood-vessel function and oxidative stress.
The children with autism possessed levels of biochemicals that indicate the presence of constricted blood vessels via endothelium (the cells that line vessels ) with a higher tendency to form clots (through cells called platelet). By exploring the relationship between oxidative stress and blood-vessel function in autistic patients, they hoped to find what causes autism and an avenue for helping those with autism.
Of particular interest, and reported in August of 2006 was research led by Domenico Pratico, MD, an Associate Professor of Pharmacology, who published their findings in the August 2006 issue of the Archives of Neurology.
Urinary samples of autistic children who were similar in age and healthy controls provided by the Pfeiffer Treatment Center, where patients were diagnosed with autism disorder and evaluated. Patients were excluded from analysis if they had ever received antioxidant treatments or medicine with any known antioxidant effect; if they suffered from chronic illnesses, such as depression, psychosis, or inflammatory disorders; and/or if they were sick at the time of the sample collection. These strict criteria resulted in the small sample size in this preliminary study: 26 children with autism and 12 healthy controls.
Pratico’s team measured isoprostane, a biomarker for oxidative stress; thromboxane, an index of platelet activation; and prostacyclin, a measure of blood vessel activation in the samples. His group reported that, “This study represents the first observation that the rates of thromboxane and prostacyclin synthesis are both not only significantly increased in autism, but are closely correlated with the rate of oxidative stress.” Compared with controls, children with autism had significantly higher urinary levels of isoprostane, thromboxone, and prostacyclin.
Oxidative stress is the result of an excessive formation of chemically unstable byproducts, called free radicals, within the cell. Under normal conditions, the cell is able to destroy the free radicals. However, when excessive free radicals accumulate, these molecules mount an attack against the cell in search of chemical stability. During oxidative stress, it is as if the free radicals have only one leg. These free radicals are searching for the second leg in order to keep from failing. Unfortunately, the ability of the excessive free radicals to reestablish their chemical equilibrium comes always with a price for the organ – irreversible cellular and organ damage. Free radicals can damage cell membranes, proteins, and genes by oxidation – the same chemical reaction that causes iron to rust.
Pratico and colleagues measured levels of isoprostane, the chemical byproduct of free radicals that attack fat cells and found that patents with autism possess nearly double the level of oxidative stress than that measured in healthy controls.
The samples from autistic patients also revealed a biochemical imbalance in the patients’ blood vessels, resulting in high levels of thromboxane – an indicator of platelet activity – and prostacyclin, an indicator of constricting endothelial cells. During normal function, thromboxane and prostacyclin work together to maintain the integrity of vessels. In response to different kinds of stress, platelets release thromboxane, which causes vessels to contract. The endothelium responds to elevated levels of thromboxane by releasing prostacyclin. This event counterbalances the effect on vessels, inducing dilation of the vessel and, in turn, more blood flow.
What causes autism is a complex neurological disorder and oxidative imbalance is one feature of the autistic syndrome. Several lines of evidence support the hypothesis that oxidative imbalance may also play a role in this disease: autism is characterized by an impaired antioxidant defense system, higher free-radical production, and improvement of behavioral symptoms after taking antioxidants.
“In general, it is known that abnormalities in blood vessels can clinically reflected by an abnormal blood flow,” says Pratico.” In this regard, it is interesting that earlier neuroiniaging studies of autistic children have demonstrated a reduced amount of blood reaching the brain. Shedding more light on the relationship of oxidative stress and blood-vessel health to the pathology of autism could lead to improvements in therapy.”
So based on the case history, it would suggest – and that’s all I can say – suggest – that Monavie juice is reducing oxidative stress and possibly improving blood vessel function.
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