AACAP: Vitamin B12 Injections for Autism Show No Signs of Benefit

[Guest guest]

I don't know if this has been posted but I just came across this on

the MedpageToday website--

( http://www.medpagetoday.com/Pediatrics/Autism/tb/4401 )

I for one wish my twins could have been included in this study,

their cognitive improvements with the B-12 shots have shocked

everyone who knows them...

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 30 -- Preliminary results of a small ongoing study

of vitamin B12 injections for children with autism showed no signs

of significant benefit, researchers reported here, but they remained

hopeful.

So said Lesley J. Deprey, Ph.D., of the University of California at

, and colleagues, in a poster presentation at the American

Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry meeting here.

Their hope, they noted, derived from " anecdotal reports of

remarkable clinical improvements " using subcutaneous vitamin B12

(methyl cobalamin), although there have been no supporting published

studies. Vitamin B12 is an antioxidant involved in metabolism

pathways for cellular methylation, which has been implicated in

other neurological disorders like schizophrenia and Alzheimer's

Disease.

The researchers reported that no significant benefits have turned up

yet for the 14 patients who have completed three months in the

current double-blind crossover study. They found no significant

differences with active versus placebo treatment for the following

measures:

Clinical Global Impression Scale Improvement (P=0.4129),

Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test scores (P=0.2895), and

Social Communication Questionnaire verbal results (P=0.4211).

A significant improvement found for nonverbal Social Communication

Questionnaire scores in the vitamin B12 group compared to placebo

(P=0.0309) disappeared after adjusting for multiple testing.

The researchers randomized half of the participants to six weeks of

64.5 ug/kg of subcutaneous methyl cobalamin injections every three

days and the other half to a similar schedule of saline injections

disguised to maintain the double-blind. For the following six weeks,

the children were crossed over to the opposite group.

Diagnosis of autism was confirmed using several clinical measures

including the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Autism Diagnostic

Observation Schedule, and Mullen Scales of Early Learning. Patients

could stay on all other treatment modalities they entered with but

no additions were allowed during the trial.

Interestingly, several of the children seemed to respond well. Three

of the eight participants who subsequently completed three months of

open-label therapy and two of the five who have completed six months

were rated " much improved " on the Clinical Global Impression

Improvement scale.

" While there is a general trend toward improvement in several of the

subjects, this trend does not reach group significance with this

small sample size, " said Dr. Deprey.

" Autism is so heterogeneous, " she said, " you can't expect one

treatment is going to work for all kids with autism. "

The real usefulness of the study may be to indicate which patients

will respond to the treatment, which is generally thought to have

few side effects, commented Raum Melmed, M.D., of the Southwest

Autism Research and Resource Center in sdale, Ariz.

He said the study does not have a traditional design and will likely

be scrutinized critically. However, he praised it as a " wonderful

bridge " between research and the complimentary and alternative

medicine that so many patients are using where " ground needs to be

broken. "

The researchers said they plan to enroll at least 42 children in the

study, which was supported by the University of California at .

Additional Autism Coverage

Primary source: American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Source reference:

Deprey LJ, et al " Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Cross-Over Trial

of Subcutaneous Methylcobalamin in Autism: Preliminary Results "

AACAP 2006; 33:F47.

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