PLT Test Blog

Need a wizard, or your local doctor? I was intrigued to come across a recent paper on immune modulatory treatments for autism by a couple of doctors from Massachusetts General Hospital for Children.   The lead author has interests in: ·       Autism spectrum disorders ·       Psychopharmacology ·       Developmental Disabilities ·       Williams syndrome ·       Angelman syndrome ·       Down syndrome Apparently, he is an internationally-recognized expert in the neurobiology and neuropsychopharmacology of childhood-onset neuropsychiatric disorders including autistic disorder.  Sounds promising, hopefully we will learn something new. The paper is actually a review of existing drugs, with immunomodulatory properties, that have already been suggested to be repurposed for autism. The abstract was not very insightful, so I have highl...

  An interesting trial of a TNF- α and IL-6 inhibitor in autism has been brought to my attention.   It was by Michael Chez, the neurologist from Sacramento, who has made several appearances on this blog. By coincidence, a copy of his book arrived this week.   The book is called “ Autism and its Medical Management ”, Chez is one of the few mainstream doctors who does try and treat autism.   The book is rational, readable and in no way radical, so you could show it to your family doctor without upsetting him/her.   Chez does particularly focus on distinguishing regressive from non-regressive autism, as do I. His view is that it is regressive autism, even if it was regression from slightly abnormal.   The important part is that some learned skills, like language, were lost sometime after 12 months of age.   He believes that regressive autism has a different basis to non-regressive autism; he has his own ideas about this, but he admits there is no concr...