Autism therapy

As a result of these difficulties, only a few of the medications commonly employed for treatment of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have been subjected to randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies. Most published studies are uncontrolled, open-label studies of small numbers of patients. Because of the high incidence of response to placebo frequently observed in controlled studies of autism therapies (Aman et al., 2005 Sandler et al., 1999 Belsito et ah, 2001 Sandler, 2005), open-label studies are frequently misleading and are of little value for assessing treatment effectiveness, although they can be useful for identifying serious adverse effects. 

There has been an increasing interest in the use of serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in the treatment of autism (McDougle et al., 1996). Serotonin binds to several types of receptors including the 5-HT2, and 5-HTlc receptors, which are linked to inositol signaling. A double-blind crossover study was completed at a dose of 200 mg/kg per day, and the results demonstrated no significant improvement on inositol therapy (Levine et al., 1997). 

Furthermore, a diet with low contents of FA may be involved in the development of insulin resistance, which suggests that an appropriate dietary intake of n-3 PUFA is considered protective against metabolic syndrome [183]. In addition, diverse psyquiatric impairs (depression, bipolar disorders, schizophrenia, autism) and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer disease have been associated to decreased blood levels of n-3 HUFA. Besides, there are many examples about the use of pol)nmsaturated FA as drugs. Thus, EPA has shown efficacy as adjunctive treatment, and in some cases as the only treatment in several psyquiatric disorders [184]. It is suggested that the potential of n-3 FA to prevent recurrence and metastasis of mammary cancer when used in adjuvant therapy is associated with a n-6 to n-3 ratio lower than 2 1 [185], On the other hand, fish intake is considered as a protective factor for preventing prostate cancer in addition, in humans low levels of ALA in mammary adipose tissue are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in women [186]. 

Correia CT, Almeida JP, Santos PE et al (2010) Pharmacogenetics of risperidone therapy in autism association analysis of eight candidate genes with drug efficacy and adverse drug reactions. Pharmacogenomics J 10 418 30... 

Belmonte MK, Cook EH Jr, Anderson GM, Rubenstein JL, Greenough WT, Beckel-Mitchener A, Courchesne E, Boulanger LM, Powell SB, Levitt PR, Perry EK, Jiang YH, DeLorey TM, Tierney E (2004) Autism as a disorder of neural information processing Directions for research and targets for therapy. Mol Psychiatry 9 646-663. 

Belsito KM, Law PA, Kirk KS, Landa RJ, Zimmerman AW (2001) Lamotrigine therapy for autistic disorder a randomized, double-bUnd, placebo-controUed trial. J Autism Dev Disord 31 175-181. 

Drs. Peter Kirsch and Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg from Mannheim, Germany, are experts on the prosocial neuropeptide oxytocin and discuss its role in humans and its relevance for autism pathogenesis and therapy. In the chapter The Role of the Noradrenergic System in Autism Spectrum Disorders , Dr. David Beversdorf presents the normal role of norepinephrine and its effects on cognition and the possible dysregulation of norepinephrine in autism and possible treatment with propanolol. 

Cortesi F, Giannotti F, Sebastiani T, Panunzi S, Valente D. Controlled-release melatonin, singly and combined with cognitive behavioural therapy, for persistent insomnia in children with autism spectrum disorders a randomized placebo-controlled trial. J Sleep Res 2012 21(6) 700-9. Epub 2012 /05/24. 

Currently, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychiatric Association feel that megavitamin therapy is unproved in terms of safety and efficacy. Nevertheless, hope should not be abandoned. There are certain genetic disorders for which megavitamin therapy can be justified and future research may find its justification in other disorders. For example, nine studies reported in the world literature show that megadoses of vitamin B-6 are helpful in treating autism, though more experimental work is needed. ... 

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