Vitamin D and Autism: The Missing Link

Causes, Prevention, and Treatment

I first became interested in vitamin D when I learned that it is not a vitamin. Instead, it is the only known substrate of a seco-steroid neuro-hormone that functions, like all steroids, by turning genes on and off.

That means it has as many different mechanisms of action as the genes it regulates. Moreover, vitamin D directly regulates hundreds, if not thousands, of the 21,000 coding genes of the human genome. Genes are responsible for making the proteins and enzymes the human body relies on for normal development and function.

Evidence that vitamin D is involved in the autism epidemic is mounting.

Read more: Vitamin D and Autism: The Missing Link

Source: naturalsolutionsmag

Bipolar, autism, and schizophrenia might share genetic origin

A new, in-depth genetic study, published in JAMA Psychiatry, finds a potential link between bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and autism. Although the findings are tentative, they open the door to new avenues of investigation.

Bipolar disorder, previously called manic depression, causes dramatic shifts in mood, along with swings in activity and energy levels.

Thought to affect almost 1 to 3 percent of Americans, bipolar disorder can be an incredibly disruptive condition.

Bipolar disorder is thought to share a common genetic origin with a number of other psychiatric conditions. Although evidence of this connection is growing, the search is still in its infancy.

New research, led by Dr. James Potash, puts another gene-shaped piece in the jigsaw. The study was a joint venture, conducted at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD, and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, NY.

Read more: Bipolar, autism, and schizophrenia might share genetic origin

The genetics behind psychiatric disorders are slowly revealed.

Source: medicalnewstoday

Seeking novel drug targets for Autism

Genetic discoveries have invigorated autism research and raised the possibility of finding drug targets based on autism’s underlying pathophysiology, rather than merely treating symptoms.

An experimental group of drugs works wonders in a mouse-model of fragile X syndrome, the most common single-gene cause of autism. The drugs, which calm overactive metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) in the brain, restore social sniffing behaviour to normal levels, boost learning and memory, and reduce seizures related to the syndrome. Yet despite being the most promising new strategy for treating autism, these drugs are floundering once they reach human subjects.

The obscurity of the causes of autism means that doctors have little to offer the one in 100 people affected worldwide. Intensive behavioural therapies help some, but current medicines are limited to two drugs, risperidone and aripiprazole, used to treat aggression and irritability.

Read more: Seeking novel drug targets for Autism

An electroencephalogram measures brain connectivity, which, when combined with other measures,
may help delineate people with autism into subgroups with their own distinct biology

Source: SciencePhotoLibrary

Autistic people have higher gene mutations but lesser risk to cancer

While people with autism have more cancer-related gene mutations, they are at lower risk for developing the disease. This is the conclusion of a new study by researchers from the University of Iowa.

Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by problems with social interaction, communication and repetitive behaviors.

In the US, it is estimated that 1 in 68 children have autism, most of whom are boys.

Study leader Dr. Benjamin Darbro, of the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, notes that the finding of a genetic link between autism and cancer is not a new discovery; previous research has established that the conditions share risk genes.

Read more: Autistic people have higher gene mutations but lesser risk to cancer

Autism patients have more mutations in cancer-related genes, but they are at lower risk of developing
cancer than those without autism.

Source: medicalnewstoday