PLT Test Blog

Today’s post looks deeper into the biology of those people who respond to the drug bumetanide, which means a large sub-group of those with autism, likely those with Down Syndrome and likely some with schizophrenia. It is a rather narrow area of science, but other than bumetanide treatment, there appears to be no research interest in further translating science into therapy.     So it looks like this blog is the only place to develop such ideas. I did not expect this post would lead to a practical intervention, but perhaps it does. As you will discover, the goal would be to restore a hormone called estradiol to its natural higher level, perhaps by increasing an enzyme called aromatase, which appears to be commonly downregulated in autism.   This should increase expression of neuroligin 2, which should increase expression of the ion transporter KCC2; this will lower intracellular chloride and boost cognition. It seems that those people using Atorvastatin may have alrea...

I did think of highlighting this post to the Bumetanide researchers in France, but I do not think they would take it seriously. Another one to mention would be this new study, funded by Rodakis, to look at why some antibiotics improve some autism.   Dr Luna at Baylor College is running the study.   Its basic assumption is that the effect must be to do with bacteria, but as our reader Agnieszka has highlighted, common penicillin type antibiotics increase expression of the gene GLT-1 which then reduces glutamate in the brain.   It has nothing to do with bacteria.   Maybe for other antibiotics the effect does relate to bacteria. But if you tell Dr Luna about GLT-1, quite likely she will not be interested.    Study to investigate connection between antibiotic use and autism symptoms Researchers will compare the gut microbiome (bacteria, yeasts and fungi found in the gut) and metabolome (small biological molecules produced by the microbes) of those who experienc...