Cutting Edge Science and Treatment Info at the Autism One Generation Rescue 2010 Conference
COMPREHENSIVE INFORMATION IN ONE LOCATION:
AUTISM ONE/GENERATION RESCUE 2010 CONFERENCE
MAY 24-30, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
www.autismone.org
OVER 150 SPEAKERS: NEW FACES, TRUSTED VOICES:
Sym Rankin, RN, CRNA, and Suruchi Chandra, MD, present:
The Impact of Psychotropic and Anesthetic Agents on Underlying Biomedical Conditions in Patients with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Many of the psychotropic and anesthetic pharmaceutical agents used in the pediatric population influence and may even aggravate the underlying biomedical conditions seen in autism spectrum disorders. An understanding of these interactions will allow parents and clinicians to make better decisions regarding the use of these drugs for children with ASD. In addition to reviewing the science and research supporting the use of psychotropic medications in ASD patients, this session will focus on the impact of SSRI and atypical antipsychotic medications on neurologic functions, metabolic systems, and liver detoxification. Also discussed will be special concerns related to anesthesia for the various surgical, radiological or dental procedures so many of our children are undergoing. Topics will include the various drugs typically used in anesthesia and how you can educate your anesthesiologist about the medical concerns of your child.
Laura Hewitson, PhD, presents:
Primate Models for Testing Vaccine Safety
With the number of pediatric vaccines being recommended for infants increasing dramatically over the last decade, there remain concerns over cumulative and/or synergistic adverse effects. This presentation will describe the development of a non-human primate model to assess CNS, gastrointestinal, and immunologic consequences of the pediatric vaccine regimen. Vaccines containing a standardized, weight-adjusted dose of thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative, were administered to infant male macaques following the recommended pediatric vaccine regimen in place in the 1990s but adjusted for the faster development of macaques; unvaccinated animals received a saline placebo or no injections. Non-human primate infants underwent daily testing for the acquisition of neonatal reflexes, and subsequent behavioral and developmental assessments, including non-invasive imaging by PET and MRI. Neurodevelopmental outcomes in infant rhesus macaques receiving thimerosal (Th)-containing pediatric vaccines will be presented. The study findings will be discussed in relation to other animal and clinical studies of vaccine safety.
Andrew Wakefield, MB, BS, FRCS, FRCPath, presents:
Autism and the vagrant in the brainstem
This talk examines the possibility that brainstem injury plays a central role in autism. In light of recent observations of brainstem injury in a primate model of vaccine-associated effects on early neurodevelopment, and an analysis of the scientific literature, it is proposed that, as an epicentric event, damage to the dorsal vagal complex (DVC) of the brainstem may be necessary and sufficient to initiate the central and systemic features of autism, including the many that fall outside the behavioral definition of this condition. Mechanisms by which primary systemic inflammation can cause brainstem damage are presented with reference to the published literature. The talk discusses the anatomical predeliction of the DVC for injury resulting from a variety of mechanisms including disruption to the blood supply in the developing brain, environmental toxicity and, via retrograde vagal pathways, intestinal inflammation. Ways of examining this theory are discussed.
Elaine DeLack, RN, and Fred Starr, MD, present:
A deficiency in the mitochondrial enzyme, MAO-A, may be a possible etiology of autism
This presentation will explain how the metabolic imbalances, gastric problems, and core symptoms of autism may be the result of a malfunction of the mitochondrial enzyme, MAO-A. The presentation will discuss how stress, genetics, epidurals with Pitocin (oxytocin) augmentation during childbirth, toxins such as mercury, aluminum, high copper and cadmium are possible risk factors contributing to the overall symptoms resulting from the MAO-A deficiency. This science provides the rationale unifying the benefits seen from various therapies such as the gluten-free and casein-free diet, hyperbaric oxygen, methylcobalamin and Respen-A.
Nancy Mullan, MD, presents:
An Overview and Clarification of the Dr. Amy Yasko Protocol
This presentation highlights some of the important interventions in the treatment of autism spectrum disorder and other chronic immunologic, neurologic, metabolic, or gastrointestinal dysfunctions that can be made with the help of genetic and biochemical testing. It is not intended to be a comprehensive review of Dr. Yasko's method. Instead, it highlights those areas that are critical for the success of her method and defines points of similarity to and divergence from other ASD treatments. It demonstrates the competence of Yasko's method for promoting the development of function and language, and for inducing the excretion of toxic materials. A workshop will be offered on the same day: "A Clinical Tutorial on the Dr. Amy Yasko Protocol."
Sydney Finegold, MD, presents:
Abnormal Intestinal Bacterial Flora in Autism
In collaboration with Drs. Scot Dowd, John Green, Doreen Granpeesheh and others, we have studied the fecal flora of 33 children with autism and gastrointestinal symptoms, 7 sibling controls without symptoms of autism, and 8 non-sibling controls, using pyrosequencing with titanium enhancement. This powerful molecular tool showed significant differences in the microflora of these groups. The principal difference was in the two most prevalent phyla of intestinal bacteria, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes. Bacteroidetes was found at high levels in the autistic group whereas Firmicutes was particularly high in the control group.
Manuel Casanova, MD, and Emily Williams present:
The Neurobiology of Autism: The Role of Ultrasound
The phenotypic expression of autism, according to the Triple Hit Hypothesis, is determined by three factors: a developmental time window of vulnerability, genetic susceptibility, and environmental stressors. In utero exposure to thalidomide, valproic acid, and maternal infections are examples of some of the teratogenic agents that increase the risk of developing autism and define a time window of vulnerability. An additional stressor for genetically susceptible individuals during this time window of vulnerability is prenatal ultrasound. Ultrasound enhances the genesis and differentiation of progenitor cells by activating the nitric oxide (NO) pathway and its related neurotrophins. The effects of this pathway activation, however, are determined by the stage of development of the target cells, absolute local concentrations of NO, and the location of nuclei (basal versus apical), causing consequent proliferation at some stages while driving differentiation and migration at others. Ill-timed activation or overactivation of this pathway by ultrasound may extend proliferation, increasing total cell number, or trigger precipitous migration, causing maldistribution of neurons amongst lamina, nuclei, white matter, and germinal zones. The rising rates of autism coincident with the increased use of ultrasound in obstetrics and its deregulation since the 1990s demand more research on the subject.
HOPE IS ALWAYS REAL . . . . RECOVERY IS HAPPENING
May 24-30, Chicago, Illinois
www.autismone.org
Since I won't be able to attend, I hope AutismOne makes DVD's available again. I really am interested in Dr. Wakefield's presnetation. Last year, I purchased 4 DVD"s and my husband and I watched them together.
Posted by: mary | March 10, 2010 at 09:17 AM