Autism Studies and Related Medical Conditions, January 2009 - TACA

Dolske MC, Spollen J, McKay S, Lancashire E, Tolbert L. A preliminary trial of ascorbic
acid as supplemental therapy for autism. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry.
1993 Sep;17(5):765-74.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Alabama at Birmingham.
1. This study presents the results of a 30-week double-blind, placebo-controlled
trial exploring the effectiveness of ascorbic acid (8g/70kg/day) as a supplemental
pharmacological treatment for autistic children in residential treatment. 2.
Residential school children (N = 18) were randomly assigned to either ascorbateascorbate-placebo
treatment order group or ascorbate-placebo-ascorbate
treatment order group. Each treatment phase lasted 10 weeks and behaviors
were rated weekly using the Ritvo-Freeman scale. 3. Significant group by phase
interactions were found for total scores and also sensory motor scores indicating
a reduction in symptom severity associated with the ascorbic acid treatment. 4.
These results were consistent with a hypothesized dopaminergic mechanism of
action of ascorbic acid.
PMID: 8255984 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Fernstrom JD. Can nutrient supplements modify brain function? Am J Clin Nutr. 2000
Jun;71(6 Suppl):1669S-75S.
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Western Psychiatric Institute and
Clinic, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. ferstro+@pitt.edu
Over the past 40 y, several lines of investigation have shown that the chemistry
and function of both the developing and the mature brain are influenced by diet.
Examples are the effect of folate deficiency on neural tube development during
early gestation, the influence of essential fatty acid deficiency during gestation
and postnatal life on the development of visual function in infants, and the
effects of tryptophan or tyrosine intake (alone or as a constituent of dietary
protein) on the production of the brain neurotransmitters derived from them
(serotonin and the catecholamines, respectively). Sometimes the functional
effects are clear and the underlying biochemical mechanisms are not (as with
folate and essential fatty acids); in other cases (such as the amino acids tyrosine
and tryptophan), the biochemical effects are well understood, whereas the effect
on brain function is not. Despite the incomplete knowledge base on the effects of
such nutrients, investigators, physicians, and regulatory bodies have promoted
the use of these nutrients in the treatment of disease. Typically, these nutrients
have been given in doses above those believed to be required for normal health;
after they have been given in pure form, unanticipated adverse effects have
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