The role of trace elements, thiamin (e) and transketolase in autism and autistic spectrum disorder.

The role of trace elements, thiamin (e) and transketolase in autism and autistic spectrum disorder. Front Biosci (Elite Ed). 2015;7:263-77 Authors: Obrenovich ME, Shola D, Schroedel K, Agrahari A, Lonsdale D Abstract Although there has been much research into autism or autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), there is room for considerable conjecture regarding the etiology of these developmental brain disorders. ASD is marked by a complex interaction between environmental factors and genetic predisposition, including epistasis. This manuscript argues that changes in oxidative metabolism, thiamine homeostasis, heavy metal deposition and cellular immunity have a role in the etiopathogenesis of autism and ASD. Recent findings from our group and others provide evidence for abnormal thiol metabolism, marked by significant alteration in the deposition of several trace heavy metal species. Together with these, we find differences in thiamine homeostasis in ASD patients, which can be corrected by supplementation. We hypothesize that altered thiol metabolism from heavy metal toxicity, one of the key mechanisms for oxidative stress production, may be responsible for the biochemical alterations in transketolase, dysautonomia and abnormal thiamine homeostasis. Although it is unknown why these particular metals accumulate, we suspect that children with ASD and forms of autism may have particular trouble excreting thiol-toxic heavy metal species, many of...
Source: Frontiers in Bioscience - Elite - Category: Biomedical Science Tags: Front Biosci (Elite Ed) Source Type: research