Some interesting research out this week supports a hypothesis that was recently proposed for idiopathic Autism, which in laymen's terms refers to a genetic predisposition towards Autism of an individual and an unknown environmental trigger. Not all Autism has unknown causes, which is an important distinction.
Unlike the correlation between vaccinations and the rising number of autism cases, this hypothesis actually has a plausible etiologic mechanism for causing the disease. The hypothesis was that hyperserotonemia (an excess in serotonin in the body) in the natal environment could be causing the developmental issues in the fetal brain. Excess serotonin in the mother would be passed to the fetus, and then pass the blood-brain barrier in the developing fetus which is fairly permeable to compounds in the blood. The excess serotonin could come from food containing the serotonin, or from psychoactive pharmaceuticals the mother is taking. Excessive serotonin has been associated with autism, much like vaccines have been. Correlation though mind you.
However, there are other sources of exposure. Now it's been well documented that pharmaceuticals are building up in water bodies, which has lead to all sorts of findings, such as declining sex ratios in fish. The authors in this case reared some fathead minnows in water that was analogous to the levels of some pharmaceuticals known to increase serotonin, which are now commonly found in drinking water. The classes of drugs are both highly prescribed, as well as contemporary in use. These unmetabolized psychoactive pharmaceuticals are found at low doses in comparison to the treatments a MD would prescribe to someone.
After rearing the fish in the experimental water, the researchers tested the fish using gene expression patterns. They looked at the regulation of some genes associated with both idiopathic Autism, and Autism arising from other known disorders. What they found was significant enrichment of the genes associated with idiopathic Autism, but not with genes associated with Autism arising from other disorders.
This is significant. New research can build on the results found by this study. Also, the minnow model is cheap, and can be leveraged for rapid discoveries, and can probably by expanded to closer models such as mice. If these unmetabolized pharmaceuticals are indeed responsible for idiopathic Autism, it also means that effective policies can be put in place to limit the hazards and risks to public health.
As an ancillary benefit, perhaps those anti-vaccine nutters will re-think their positions with respect to vaccines, which have saved millions of humans from needless suffering and death. There has been a marked reduction in immunizations amongst some populations, which elevates the risk to the entire population.
Unlike the correlation between vaccinations and the rising number of autism cases, this hypothesis actually has a plausible etiologic mechanism for causing the disease. The hypothesis was that hyperserotonemia (an excess in serotonin in the body) in the natal environment could be causing the developmental issues in the fetal brain. Excess serotonin in the mother would be passed to the fetus, and then pass the blood-brain barrier in the developing fetus which is fairly permeable to compounds in the blood. The excess serotonin could come from food containing the serotonin, or from psychoactive pharmaceuticals the mother is taking. Excessive serotonin has been associated with autism, much like vaccines have been. Correlation though mind you.
However, there are other sources of exposure. Now it's been well documented that pharmaceuticals are building up in water bodies, which has lead to all sorts of findings, such as declining sex ratios in fish. The authors in this case reared some fathead minnows in water that was analogous to the levels of some pharmaceuticals known to increase serotonin, which are now commonly found in drinking water. The classes of drugs are both highly prescribed, as well as contemporary in use. These unmetabolized psychoactive pharmaceuticals are found at low doses in comparison to the treatments a MD would prescribe to someone.
After rearing the fish in the experimental water, the researchers tested the fish using gene expression patterns. They looked at the regulation of some genes associated with both idiopathic Autism, and Autism arising from other known disorders. What they found was significant enrichment of the genes associated with idiopathic Autism, but not with genes associated with Autism arising from other disorders.
This is significant. New research can build on the results found by this study. Also, the minnow model is cheap, and can be leveraged for rapid discoveries, and can probably by expanded to closer models such as mice. If these unmetabolized pharmaceuticals are indeed responsible for idiopathic Autism, it also means that effective policies can be put in place to limit the hazards and risks to public health.
As an ancillary benefit, perhaps those anti-vaccine nutters will re-think their positions with respect to vaccines, which have saved millions of humans from needless suffering and death. There has been a marked reduction in immunizations amongst some populations, which elevates the risk to the entire population.
