More on autism and CFS--good news, I think!

[Guest guest]

Hi, all.

Advances in the understanding of autism are continuing to occur at a

rapid pace, and there continues to be more evidence found that

autism and CFS have a lot in common, in my opinion.

Yesterday in Boston at the 4th International Meeting for Autism

Research, Amaral et al. reported finding a 20 percent higher

number of B lymphocytes in children with autism, compared to normals.

Judy Van de Water et al. reported lower levels of cytokines in

children with autism compared to normals, after antigen

provocation. I haven't been able to find out yet which cytokines

were obsered to be lower.

Combined with earlier research on the immune system and autism, the

work of Amaral et al. suggests a Th2 shift and a suppression of cell-

mediated immunity in autism, as is frequently found in CFS.

Here are some of the other features that have been reported in the

past to be found in autism, which are also found in CFS:

Oxidative stress

Toxicity and sensitivity to toxins, especially mercury

Gastrointestinal problems, including dysybiosis, leaky gut, and

problems with casein and gluten.

Abnormalities in sulfur metabolism

Coagulation problems

Sleep disorders

HPA axis dysfunction

Researchers at UCLA are homing in on gene mutations associated with

autism. S. Jill and colleagues have already reported on some

single-nucleotide polymorphisms that are associated with problems in

methylation and detox, involving sulfur metabolism.

There was also work reported in Boston by Amaral on

proteomics, i.e. the concentrations of various proteins in the

blood, in kids with autism compared to normals. Big differences

were found in a large number of proteins. I don't think this kind

of work has been reported yet in CFS, but I think it will be done

soon, since Eleanor Hanna at the NIH told me at their workshop two

years ago that she thought this is where the answers will lie in CFS

research, and she is in charge of CFS research there.

The common denominator and root cause of many of the observed

features that these two disorders have in common appears to be

glutathione depletion. As I have said earlier, the differences

between autism and CFS appear to be caused by glutathione becoming

depleted earlier in life in the kids with autism, before the brain

has been fully developed, while in CFS the glutathione depletion

occurs later.

Because of the prominent symptoms in autism related to lack of

proper brain development, which are not found in CFS, I think that

in the past researchers have not paid attention to the

similarities. But once glutathione depletion was found to be

present in both, the picture really has seemed to come together.

I suggest that everyone with CFS keep their eye on autism research.

It is going great guns now, and I strongly suspect that much of what

they find out in terms of genetic variations and basic biochemistry

is going to apply to CFS pretty directly. The big differences are

going to be in things involved with the lack of proper brain

development in autism and the effects of that, which are not found

in CFS. But the rest should be applicable. Stay tuned!

Rich