Word: purpura
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...wasn't an experiment; it was more of a eureka moment," says Purpura. "We came to the conclusion that there could only be one system that would both ameliorate the effects of autism and govern fever...
...often that a mere flash of insight - as opposed to a formal, controlled study - commands much space in a medical journal, and Purpura and Mehler readily concede that a good deal of empiricism will have to be applied to their theory before it can become anything more than that. Still, they're convinced that the idea deserves attention. If the locus coeruleus is indeed malfunctioning in autism, the problem could involve hundreds or even thousands of genes. The researchers are careful to avoid the shooting war over what damaged those genes, suggesting that environment and toxic chemicals - but not vaccines...
...Stress is thought to have a significant impact on the ability of the locus coeruleus to regulate noradrenaline properly, and Mehler and Purpura cite an improbable 2008 study published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders showing that mothers who lived through a hurricane during their pregnancy - particularly at the mid-gestational point - had a greater likelihood of giving birth to an autistic child than other women. "What would be involved here would be the mother's level of [the stress hormone] cortisol," says Purpura. "Between fetus and mother, the placenta acts as a very good barrier for maternal...
...theory, that blast of stress chemistry could alter the development of the fetal locus coeruleus, though Purpura is quick to point out that the study showing how cortisol can make it through the placenta was conducted in animals, not humans. Nonetheless, one day after their article in Brain Research Reviews was published, the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology published a study linking cortisol imbalance to Asperger's syndrome, a condition along the autism spectrum...
...question is, How can any of this be used to help autistic kids? Nobody recommends inducing fevers to kick-start the locus coeruleus, since that could lead to all manner of side effects and other ills. Instead, Mehler and Purpura believe the likeliest answer is in medications that target noradrenaline brain receptors. "First, we should look at the signaling pathways in the region of the brain involved," Purpura says. "Then we could look at treating the receptor sites with some kind of pharmacotherapy." For once, the step that's missing from a proposal is the one that involves shouting about...