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Home Tag: "antipsychotics"

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20Jan

Autism is today, more clinically referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD, and has been one of the more challenging medical conditions to document and treat. For many centuries, ASD wasn’t even considered a distinct condition and was often misdiagnosed as other conditions entirely, such as some people with ASD being treated for schizophrenia.

The modern approach to ASD is much more flexible, doing away with categorizations or classifications of different types of ASD, and instead, putting those diagnosed on a “spectrum” of different symptoms at different intensities. This way, no one gets put into a classification with recommended treatments that may not be appropriate because they are not finely tuned to individual needs, and instead, try to address categorial requirements.

However, managing ASD continues to be a challenge. There are different ways to approach ASD, including more psychological approaches, such as behavioral therapy, and medications, such as antipsychotics. What there isn’t, with current medical science, is a cure, although stem cell therapy is emerging as a promising new form of treatment. So what is stem cell therapy, and how can it add to the arsenal of ASD treatment?

The Challenge Of ASD

The reason no cure currently exists for ASD is that unlike many illnesses, such as pneumonia, for example, ASD is not a viral or bacteriological infection. In other words, there is no antibiotic, serum, or other treatment that can eliminate an outside agent causing the issue. ASD can be contracted in multiple ways, and even these methods of transmission are still not fully understood.

ASD has a genetic component since parents diagnosed with ASD can give birth to children that are also diagnosed with it. However, ASD also has a prenatal component, where a pregnant woman who contracts an illness during pregnancy, such as rubella, may result in neurological damage to the developing embryo that leads to ASD. There are also theorized to be post-natal factors, though these have yet to be definitively cataloged. What is known, however, is that ASD, once diagnosed, cannot be removed from the patient.

What Stem Cells Do

Stem cell therapy is a relatively new arrival in medical treatment. It uses, as the name suggests, stem cells for treatment. Stem cells are the basic building block of life. If the DNA that comes from the union of the egg and sperm creates the “blueprint” for how to make a human being, the stem cells are the actual materials used to build the person from nothing.

In medical science, stem cells have the nickname “master cell” because they are “pluripotent,” which allows them to do something no other human cell can do. Stem cells start “blank” and can “reprogram” themselves into any cell of the human body. Human cells like skin cells, for example, normally reproduce only new versions of themselves. A heart cell, on the other hand, cannot reproduce at all, and once a heart experiences cellular loss, it can’t grow anymore to replace the lost cells.

Stem cells, on the other hand, are the powerhouse cells that create a human baby. After the sperm has fertilized the egg, the first thing that happens is that more cells are created to create enough “rough material” to grow into a baby. All of those cells are stem cells, and once there are enough of them, the stem cells eventually specialize into the cells that DNA requires, becoming hair cells, eye cells, brain cells, lung cells and others. These pluripotent stem cells are produced in massive quantities by a pregnant mother as a baby grows.

Once the baby is born, however, the need for pluripotent stem cells ceases, and no more are produced. A lesser version of these stem cells is found in all human beings, in the bone marrow, but these cells are limited in their capability, able to become other blood cells, but not every other available cell in the human body.

Stem Cell Therapy & ASD

Stem cell therapy is a recent treatment where harvested stem cells are injected into a patient. If there are affected or damaged neurological cells, the presence of stem cells may repair this damage by forming new, unaffected cells. In children with ASD, this may result in improvements in speech, attention span, or even a reduction in hostility.

However, for stem cell therapy to be effective, stem cells must be compatible with the recipient. This means either using stem cells harvested on request at the birth of the child or using closely related stem cells from the cord blood of a sibling if younger children had stem cells harvested by the ASD patient did not. A final option for harvesting stem cells is to collect them from the bone marrow, but this is a surgical procedure, and thus more invasive.

Stem cell therapy for ASD treatment is not currently available in the United States. The FDA in America authorizes only leukemia treatments using stem cells. Other countries, such as Georgia, do offer stem cell therapy for other disorders, including ASD.

18Jun

Today, autism, or, the more accurate term, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has accumulated far more understanding about certain characteristics of this condition. There is also far more understanding and tolerance for those diagnosed with ASD, a happy contrast from the past, where people with ASD would be poorly treated, and often misdiagnosed as mentally ill.

But just because we have a better understanding of ASD, and how it affects people, that doesn’t mean that this understanding is complete. And it doesn’t mean that the public at large is more aware of ASD and how to interact with ASD patients. If you’re uncertain as to what ASD is, and would like to know more about it, we’ll explain.

What Is Autism Spectrum Disorder?

ASD is a medical condition, not a disease. This means that it currently has no known cure, unlike illnesses such as pneumonia, which can often be cured through specific medicines, vaccines, or other treatments. ASD can only have some of its symptoms managed or reduced, but the ASD itself cannot currently be eliminated.

ASD is a mixture of physiological, neurological, and behavioral symptoms that result in difficulties with social interaction, repetitive behavior patterns, and some physical symptoms, such as gastrointestinal issues, or sleep disorders. As a result of this mix of neurological, physiological, and behavioral factors, this may sometimes lead to the development of additional disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and others.

Why Is It A Spectrum?

The reason that ASD is called a spectrum disorder is that there is a very large variance in the number of symptoms manifested, as well as the severity of those symptoms. The seriousness of the symptoms is occasionally classified by their ability to affect a person’s function in normal, everyday settings, and interactions. Some people diagnosed with ASD, for example, are considered “high functioning,” in that, aside from being regarded as introverted, or having eccentric behavior, they have never required any additional therapy or treatment, and the ASD doesn’t have a severe impact on their lifestyle.

However, the other end of the spectrum is referred to as “low functioning,” and this can mean that people diagnosed with ASD experience great difficulty in normal settings and interactions. Poor communication skills, such as low verbal interactions, refusal to make eye contact, and even aggression issues mean that without behavioral therapy, or in some cases, medications such as antipsychotics, individuals in this area of the spectrum require more treatment and attention and may never smoothly integrate into a normal social setting.

What Causes ASD?

Medical research revealed that a primary cause of ASD is genetic. The severity of ASD can vary, but if there is a family history of ASD, there is a likelihood that the ASD will be passed onto a child born within that family line. However, while genetic transmission is one of the main forms of ASD appearing in a person, it is not the only one.

There are conditions which can create ASD even in someone without the genetic characteristics. Many of these are pre-natal, meaning that circumstances before or during birth may create the condition. Mothers who become pregnant at a very advanced age raise the risks of a child being born with ASD. The weight of the child while developing in the womb also plays a role. Children with insufficient access to nutrition during pregnancy, and are chronically underweight during pregnancy have an increased risk of being diagnosed with ASD.

Even the birth itself, if not properly supervised, can lead to ASD. Hypoxia is a condition where the infant does not receive sufficient oxygen, which may result in brain damage or other effects. If hypoxia occurs shortly before, or during birth, sometimes the resultant oxygen deprivation can result in ASD.

What Are The Symptoms Of ASD?

It’s important to remember that people diagnosed with ASD will not have all the symptoms of ASD and that the severity of these symptoms can vary wildly, from mild to crippling. Some of the most common symptoms of ASD are:

Lack Of Eye Contact

People with ASD tend to find direct eye-contact over-stimulating due to the way they process information, and so avoid it. Depending on the severity, some therapy may overcome this.

Repetitive Motions/Behaviors

People with ASD often find repeating a certain motion, such as rocking back and forth, or repeating certain behaviors, like playing with a toy in a particular way, soothing. As a result, they tend to engage in these activities at an abnormal rate of frequency.

Unique Speech Patterns

People diagnosed with ASD may develop distinct speech patterns, such as unusual vocal tones, or even a lack of tones, sounding robotic. They did not subconsciously integrate conventional speech patterns the way other children did.

Routine Oriented

Those diagnosed with ASD often place great importance in establishing and maintaining routines. Disruptions to routines can result in high irritability, and, in extreme cases, aggression.

Remember that it’s important always to consult a medical expert, and get a professional diagnosis of whether someone has ASD, before deciding what steps to take next.




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