New Study Shows Vaccines Cause Brain Changes Found in Autism

By Dan Olmsted and Mark Blaxill

Abnormal brain growth and function are features of autism, an increasingly common developmental disorder that now affects 1 in 60 boys in the US. Now researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and Thoughtful House Center for Children in Austin, Texas, have found remarkably similar brain changes to those seen in autism in infant monkeys receiving the vaccine schedule used in the 1990’s that contained the mercury-based preservative thimerosal.

The group’s findings were published yesterday in the journal Acta Neurobiologiae Experimentalis. They used scanning techniques that assessed both brain growth and brain function in the same animals over time. The research team was able to see differences in the way the brains of vaccinated and unvaccinated animals developed. Scans were performed before and after the administration of primary MMR and DTaP/Hib boosters that were given at the human equivalent of 12 months of age.

Throughout the study period, vaccinated animals showed an increase in total brain volume – a feature of the brain in many young children with autism - when compared with unvaccinated animals.  However, a specific part of the brain associated with emotional responses that is thought to be important in autism, the amygdala, did not show abnormalities until after the 12-month vaccines had been given. In addition, after the 12-month vaccines only, the functional brain scans showed significant differences between vaccinated and unvaccinated groups. These functional scans looked at the activity of receptors for morphine-like compounds (opioids) that may play a role in the brain of children affected by autism. Vaccine administration was associated with an increase in opioid binding activity in the amygdala compared with a decrease in the unvaccinated group.

The results indicate that multiple vaccine exposures during the previous 3-4 months may have had a significant impact on brain growth and development in ways that are consistent with the published data on autism. For the amygdala, the novel findings of abnormal growth and function appear to be a function of more recent vaccine exposures - the 12-month primary MMR vaccine and the DTaP and Hib boosters.

In an accompanying editorial Dr. Kris Turlejski, the Editor-in-Chief, described the findings as “alarming”, “support[ing] the possibility that there is a link between early immunization and the etiology of autism.”

In the same primate model, the research team has already identified delayed acquisition of vital brainstem reflexes in infants exposed to the thimerosal-containing hepatitis B vaccine on the first day of life, compared with unvaccinated animals. A larger, second phase study is currently underway to see if these findings can be replicated.

Dr. Andrew Wakefield, who is not a listed author but whose support in the design of the study is acknowledged, said “I hope the model will not only provide important insights into the origins of autism, but also ways of safely testing possible new autism treatments and vaccines.”

References:
Laura Hewitson, Brian J. Lopresti, Carol Stott, N. Scott Mason, and Jaime Tomko. Influence of pediatric vaccines on amygdala growth and opioid ligand binding in rhesus macaque infants: A pilot study. Acta Neurobiol Exp 2010. 70: 147–164

Kris Turlejski. Focus on Autism Editorial Comment Acta Neurobiol Exp 2010. 70: 117–118

Dan Olmsted is Editor of Age of Autism. Mark Blaxill is Editor-At-Large. Their book The Age of Autism; Mercury, Medicine and a Manmade Epidemic is available for pre-order HERE.

Comments

[bipap vs cpap]

I am really interested on studies about autism since i have heard a prominent personality in our country having this disease....thanks for this post...is it true that most of the persons with autism were intelligent?

[Ross Coe]

I've tried to find these studies refered to by denialists who state vaccines don't cause autism. Problem is, if they study the wrong trigger, or interpret findings incorrectly, or just plain lie, they can conclude anything. The statement by the vaccine court that "vaccines caused the conditions that caused autism" makes a lot of sense. It also explains and allows denialists to make the semantic statement that vaccines don't cause autism. They aren't wrong, but they are deceptive.

[Benedetta]

Pyxi

My husband finally collapsed and had to take disabilty from work.

He was a polymer chemist with Dow Chemical for 29 years.

He oxygen went really low off and on for years, and years, and years before this finally happened.

A few years ago he had a sleep study done and oxygen was in the low 80s even dipping down to the 70s.

Walking around it dropped dangerously low, so he had to carry oxygen with him.

Finally, it became so very bad that when he was just sitting his oxygen was low.
He had a gray look about him.

The plumologists acted more like funeral home directors than doctors with thier long faces.

This spring he went in for an appointment and even though his oxygen dropped down low when he walked around - his oxygen was almost normal when he was sitting.

The chief pulmonlogist at University of Kentucky was amazed. He told me that sudies showed that life expectancy if oxygen was normal sitting was the same as anybody else's. Did not seem to shorten it any if it was low while walking around.

They were amazed! They started asking us what we had done differently.

For one thing - three years ago - I wrote a 10 page research paper on the Atkin's modified diet, epilepsy, mitochondrial disease complete with research footnotes to convince him to go on the Atkin's modified Diet. I finally convinced him and he had been on the diet every since.

This fall another appointment and they decided that they would do another sleep study.

We just got the sleep study back and-----

Here is what the other doctor ahead of sleep study center had to say:

"Impression: Although he has a history of significant sleep-disordered breathing, there was no evidence of it on this study. We cannot justify or document the need for either CPAP or oxygen on the basis of this test. We believe this sutdy is accurate: Mr. Steadweth slept reaonably well and went witout CPAP for 3 nights prior to this testing, so we do not believe this sutdy is falsely negative. Possible explanations for resolution of sleep-disordered breathing include weight loss, treatment of hypothyroidism, reduction in respiratory depressant agents, upper airway surgery, inaccurate oxitry reporting, or smoking cessation. He IS sleepy, but he is taking several medication that cause sleepinesss, and he likely has mood disturbance.
PLAN: We will invite Mr. Steadweth to the clinic to go over the sleep complaints, review this study, and answer any questions he may have. I would very much like to know what has cahnged in this man's life since 2005! I hope this report is helpful to you and to your patient.

How about that every body!

I have been doing this diet off and on with my son for years!!!! He is going to the community college and even though he will never be completly cured - I never ever imagined that my son would be going to college when he was 17years old or even 18 years old or even 19 years old - but the summer of his graduation he told MMMMMMEEEE he was going.

So, I know this is what they call causation or corallation or what ever.

[John]

the love of money...
I've got a very small sample size, 18 children (in my local church of 250 people) with no vaccines. Zero autism. Why in the name of the great horn spoon is there not a study of autism in unvaccinated children?
There is no lack of them among the Amish, homeschoolers and others. Someone get a petition going! It won't answer all the questions but it's a no brainer place to start.

[Pyxi]

Yes. It's true.

We managed to dramatically improve my husband's Aspergers Syndrome by:

Fixing his Leaky Gut (Candida), Putting LGG bacteria back into his system, adding Sublingual vitD3 and subcutaneous Methylcobalamine injections, Removing toxic foods from his diet, Chelating the mercury from his brain and Adjusting his lifestyle accordingly.

A year on and he converses and interacts in such a way now, that no-one would ever know what damage the mercury did.

But the damage is still there. If he feeds the Candida with Gluten, Casein, Soy, Sugar or Corn, the Candidas toxins travel up to the neurons and act as opiates on the neurons that mercury has stripped the sheaths off.

And Viola!!!, he becomes a full blown Aspie for the next 3 or 4 days. Not fun.

[Everett Washington]

Such a small number of measles, mumps, and rubella cases occur in this country, why not just move the standardized schedule for the first MMR vaccination outside of the diagnosis window for autism (which is roughly between 1 and 3 years of age), instead administering the first MMR vaccine after age 3? Would it be so bad to focus on patient compliance rather than for Big Pharma to spend billions of dollars trying to disprove what parents already know?

[Craig]

Sigh. We're forgetting the #1 guideline when interpreting studies. Who funded the study? What do they have to gain? Sorry, but Thoughtful House now has a reputation among many autism professionals of being involved in intrusive, unnecessary procedures that aren't supported by other medical professionals. Thoughtful House = pure quackery.

[Diana Saba]

Age of Autism, thank you for continuing the research.

[CJ Martes]

As a parent of an autistic son, I am sharing this with other parents. Even with pretty obvious connection (like watching my son's development halt after receiving the MMR) the vast amount of mainstream magazines I've seen over the past year touting that vaccines don't cause any autism, I was happy to read this. I do not vaccinate my children any more after becoming more educated on this issue.

[patrons99]

John Fryer chemist - with respect to pilot studies of this type:

These pilot studies MUST BE DONE. Furthermore, the public should demand that human studies comparing fully-vaccinated versus never vaccinated be done. Such studies can be ethically-done with full compliance with Nuremberg Code and Articles of Helinski and rigorous Informed Consent. I believe that there will be sufficient numbers of volunteers.

Independent of their known neurotoxicity, aluminum salts and organomercurials, along with a cocktail of foreign proteins, and detergents, administered parenterally and serially, from cradle to grave, might not be conducive to health. We need to compare fully vaccinated with completely unvaccinated. NO, it is not unethical to do these studies. IT IS UNETHICAL NOT TO DO THESE STUDIES.