PLT Test Blog

I started to write this post a long time ago, when Agnieszka first highlighted an interview with Dr Hagerman from UC Davis.  Hagerman is experimenting in using Metformin to treat Fragile-X. Having again be reminded about Metformin, I realized that I never finished my post on this subject. With some extras about autophagy and a nice graphic courtesy of Ling’s excellent paper, here it is.   Metformin has already been covered in 5 previous posts. https://epiphanyasd.blogspot.com/search/label/metformin One interesting point is that the researchers at UC Davis are using the measurement of IQ as one of the outcome measures in their trial of Metformin.   I have been suggesting the French Bumetanide researchers do this for a long time. It is my opinion that simple medical interventions can have a profound impact on the IQ of some people with severe autism. I mean raising IQ not by 5-10 points as at UC Davis, but by 20-50 points.   IQ can be measured using standardized tools ...

Capric Acid (C10) is so named because it smells like a goat (Goat in Latin = Caper) Photographer: Armin Kübelbeck, CC-BY-SA , Wikimedia Commons Rather than Goaty acid, C10 is called Capric acid, or indeed Decanoic acid (after its 10 carbon atoms). Today’s post is indirectly again about ketones, because if you eat a Ketogenic Diet (KD) you are likely to consume a fair amount of Capric acid (C10). I have written a lot in this blog about mitochondria, even though I do not think my son has mitochondrial dysfunction. Clearly many people with autism do have a lack of one or more of the critical mitochondrial enzyme complexes that allow glucose to be converted to ATP (usable energy), by the clever process OXPHOS ( Oxidative phosphorylation). The “rate limiting” enzyme is usually Complex 1, meaning that is the one it is most important not to be short of. Another favourite, but obscure, subject of this blog is PPAR gamma. P eroxisome proliferator-activated receptors ( PPARs ) are a group of p...

Today’s post should be of interest to those concerned about mitochondrial disease and mTOR. mTOR is a very important signaling cascade that often dysfunctional in autism. Many aspects of autism and its comorbidities can be traced back to mTOR. The going is easier with a PPAR pan-agonist   mTOR integrates the input from upstream pathways, including insulin, growth, and amino acids.    mTOR also senses cellular nutrient, oxygen, and energy levels. The mTOR pathway is a central regulator of metabolism and physiology, with important roles in the function of tissues including liver, muscle, adipose tissue, and the brain.   It is dysregulated in human diseases, such as diabetes, obesity, certain cancers and indeed autism. One important process affected by mTOR is the creation of new mitochondria in your cells.   Each cell has many mitochondria, but in some people there are not enough and/or they may not work properly.    Mitochondrial Disease and Autism I...