Update on Brain Research in Autism

Susan Bookheimer, PhD

[@NoelleNaturally]

The lack of self awareness is pretty striking. Autistic people have “too much excitability and not enough inhibition?” For whose purposes? By whose standards? This chemical intervention is designed to turn Autistic people into Neurotypical people, and that is unconscionable. Have they not considered the ethical considerations of that? In particular, have they not considered that children would have their brain function “normalized” without their consent?

[@shadowfox933]

And as a continuation of that logic, how would consent even be defined in this case? Once you change overall brain function, you also change the subject's personality; it's simply unavoidable. That is my main problem with any experimental treatments and procedures of this nature. Can someone possibly be expected to consent to a medical intervention that will fundamentally alter their personality and perception of the world around them? I would argue not

[@wickjezek1101]

I have not met a single autistic individual who would want their autism "cured". Autism is a core part of who I am and how I experience the world. I would not be the same person without it. That said, I think most treatments are focused on non-speaking, low IQ, and self-harming individuals rather than the former aspergers profile.

[@Babyy_girl]

It depends on how you look at it. Wether you see autism as a disability or not. I believe it's not bad at all to be neurodivergent in any way, yet- and this is for the well-being of the individual- some aspects of the disorder can be very limiting and prevent the person from being in tune with themselves and living to their fullest. So in my opinion it is a disability, however: The goal should never be to make people "neurotypical". The goal should be allowing those individuals to be happy in their own skin, take responsibility for themselves and be independent/ in tune with their feelings, etc.(because those things are crucial for maintaining good mental health!) That's why using drugs that support this process might be a good choice for people who struggle to achieve this on their own (which is definitely possible) Despite there being some things that all humans have in common when it comes to their behaviour, there is no "normal" brain function in a sense of character traits and individualism. It makes much more sense to determine wether a behaviour is damaging or not and supporting people, neurodivergent or not, to develop "healthy" behaviours

[@Babyy_girl]

@@wickjezek1101 hmm I would actually. But not in the sense that I want to change myself. Rather in the sense that I want to be able to talk about how I feel and connect with people... Not being able to do this makes me depressed and anxious. Also, I don't wanna break down in front of people and always carry that sense of embarrassmemt and arkwardness with me. The good news is tho, that you can change your own perception of the world and yourself and develop empathy, self-awareness and so on. For me "curing" my autism doesn't mean losing part of myself but rather extending my personality and who I am and becoming richer as a person. Kinda like: "I can do both" Also it's a nice bonus to not struggle with anxiety, depression and self-hate anymore

[@Fabsall-wisecorner]

I personally think I would prefer to be a neurotypical because I think some of the problems I'm having now are related to my Asperger's syndrome. But I'm not sure

[@bananewane1402]

22:34 I remember being a kid. I would not have considered a smiling face a reward. I would have frowned and said “where’s my reward? Can I have a treat?”

[@lancewells19]

I was diagnosed at 30, a few months ago. We’re using Klonopin to manage my meltdowns. It has changed my life and quality of life dramatically. I have what would be “severe - high-function”, but I resent those labels. I’m just Autistic for my needs. I’m able to cry without having full panic attacks because of the Klonopin. Unfortunately, I have c-PTSD which makes it very difficult to cope with daily life at this time. I hardly leave my home, and I go weeks without speaking to another human. I’m glad there’s research to help me understand which medication management options are ideal for me disabilities. I know what I have now is helping me move forward emotionally, and that’s a relief of a lot of stress.

[@stalemateib3600]

Klonopin is what my mother uses. It helps to restrict the extremes of her bipolar disorder.

[@remasteredretropcgames3312]

The power of colloidal iridium compels you.

[@michaelcandido2824]

make sure to take probiotics, our gut flora is not good compared to typicals and the gut has a big effect on the brain.

[@penguinshoes7928]

GABA is only one carboxyl group away from glutamate. Metabolically active B6, pyridoxal 5' phosphate B6 is needed as a cofactor for GAD (glutamic acid decarboxylase) to convert glutamate to GABA. There are multiple forms of GAD. Riluzole is an NMDA receptor antagonist. Glutamate fits NMDA receptors to activate those neurons. Neuroscience is pretty cool, but brains are SO complex. Dairy (beta casomorphin 7) is way worse than gluten for autistic brains, overstimulating exponentially more areas.

[@remasteredretropcgames3312]

Laughs in CRY 1 mutation, acetycholine dominance, with the next biological proriority of constellation phentotype being a heavy dopamine streak. I cant visualize to save my life, lower serotonin, and im NOT an auditory dominant person either. Im more abstract verbal. A lot of people think autism is this scary thing, when its a leg up in sentience circuitry which is sort of the pinnacle relative requirement motivating us to engineer solutions to terraform mars. Its just I spend a lot of my brain pulse frequency in the upper realms. Its just hyperspecialization, similar to boost clocks in CPUs in the particular optimized operation, in this case complexity of concepts. This runawayism of competence narrowing has many flavors but the rarest would be frontal lobe I would say with what we call autism hence the typical difficulty with abstraction.

[@gabrielbay9739]

I'm addicted to drinkable yogurt, specially one brand here in Argentina, I have always been a dairy lover. I drink 1 to 2 liters a day, some days I dont but it is pretty much an addiction ( I didn't realize until now ) . I don't know if I have autism or ADHD, but I have always been erratic with people, and most people hate me or just don't like me. I'm not the best with social cues, I'm not charming, and I'm not emotionally mature. I am very intense and dramatic sometimes. Thank's to you, it's been a week or so since I'm not taking dairy, and I do feel a change in my brain. I'm not desperate, or pleasure seeking. My addiction to yogurt came with other addictions too which I tried to satisfy but always felt so intense about everything it was just in vane. I couldn't satisfy myself enough. I feel intense about everything, but yogurt relaxes me (really) I would have never paid attention to it if it wasn't for your comment. It was a routine for me. Now that I'm not drinking it, I don't have the relaxing dopaminergic effects, but I also feel a little bit less intense. I'm also trying to eat organic and may be try some Chinese medicine or Ayurveda. Hope my brain plasticity is young enough for my brain one day to recover and be normal. Just overall, thanks man, you've helped. I hope not be into that loop of desperation again.

[@silvera4352]

Really informative, thank you

[@bspsych-lectures4091]

Very informative Thank You

[@MsLeticiaPadilha]

Neste vídeo, a oradora fala sobre os avanços na investigação cerebral relacionada com o autismo. Ela destaca a importância da ressonância magnética (MRI) na compreensão das causas do autismo, mencionando estudos que exploram o desequilíbrio entre excitação e inibição no cérebro de indivíduos com autismo. Um estudo utiliza a espectroscopia por ressonância magnética nuclear (NMR) para medir os níveis de glutamato e GABA no cérebro de crianças com autismo, identificando um desequilíbrio com maior excitação e menor inibição. Outro estudo investiga os efeitos de uma intervenção farmacológica com o medicamento rilaZol, que visa normalizar o equilíbrio entre excitação e inibição no cérebro de adultos com autismo. Os resultados mostram que o medicamento pode restaurar a conectividade cerebral, sugerindo um potencial tratamento para o autismo. Além disso, a oradora menciona um estudo que utiliza a conectividade cerebral em repouso para prever o diagnóstico de autismo em crianças de seis meses de idade. Os resultados indicam que certas conexões cerebrais estão relacionadas com o diagnóstico futuro de autismo, embora o estudo seja limitado pelo tamanho da amostra. Em resumo, a investigação destaca a importância da ressonância magnética na compreensão das causas do autismo e na avaliação de tratamentos potenciais, bem como na previsão do diagnóstico em idades precoces.

[@alexadellastella5247]

why healing autism? when we actually are a more realistic way to see and function in this world, not being dominated by all the ego, false self most neurotypicals are. We are in reality a threat to this sick system cos we do not fit in! We simply do things and say things cos that's what we feel and always look for understanding but not for fame or appearing something we a re not. We are very honest and speakthe truth. You should definitely learn from us instead of fighting us....

[@jazzminbechtel2366]

Autism comes with comorbities such as metabolism problems, inefficient immune system, eczema, bed wetting and more. Its something that needs a cure.

[@adibakarlen]

my kid is autistic and I think autism needs a cure. You dont know wtf you are talking about

[@alexadellastella5247]

@@adibakarlen i have aspergers myself and intense difficulties cos of the way society is! not open to neurodiversity. I don't suffer of the way I am and I like who I am and the way I am! I believe it's very important to differenciate asperger and the rest of autistic people cos the needs vary greatly.... nevertheless, i don't believe being typicals is what autistic people should be forced to be or look like! we need to understand there are other ways of seeing this world and being in it! I understand of course that comorbidities should be attended.... all the best to you

[@adibakarlen]

@@alexadellastella5247 if you hope the society will be smart someday, will be more open minded, will be more tolerant, and understanding, well, that's not gonna happen. Society is full of dumb shit and will always be. I understand your point tough. All the best to you

[@spacebacon7184]

@@alexadellastella5247 Ok , I was diagnosed with the same condition myself . If you don't want treatment that's fine with me. I don't think a shot of oxytocin up your nose is going to "change who you are as a person". Which almost everyone thinks is the case when discussing treatment or cure. That is a totally unscientific way to view the world we live in. Groups like autism speaks halt the public's view that this is a condition that causes so much stress for an individual affected, and everyone around them. They say we should accept people as who they are. I don't feel that acceptance with a grain of honesty. Look, If you're an adult , your brain is already hardwired in a way for you to "be yourself". Treatment is not going to "change who you are". What treatment does help are the biological problems underpinning issues which make life difficult for those on the spectrum. Some of us want progress, if you don't , don't join in , but it's worthless to try and convince the science crowd otherwise.

[@frida8267]

field of gold!

[@katielangsner495]

Are ASD women's neurons connected in Penrose patterns?

[@mazklassa9338]

If you don't have a formal diagnosis of having ASD by a Doctor or clinician, based on behavioural observation, could it not be a possible approach to uncovering a structural problem neurologically with one's brain by undergoing an MRI to effectively "see what's inside", to look at the brain anatomically to see how its structure might explain one's traits/personality? Edit: I mean to say, even if you don't have a formal diagnosis of ASD but you've had privately funded (by yourself), how do you access the Professors in this research field to evaluate the MRI images for you, when you're acting as an independent outside of their professional projects?

[@janetstauffer9138]

Amen Clinic does brain scans. Insurance may partially cover.

[@NuitHadit]

I think they don't do it because its very expensive

[@gabriellalaplace]

So my GABA is low and my name is Gabriella. I think that's an almost normal occurence.

[@logibloc6061]

Yo Gabba Gabba!

[@gamescomgamer]

is it possible to compensate for the lack of GABA by consuming probiotics containing GABA producing bacteria (Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium)?

[@classicalmusful]

small studies with taiwanese GABA oolongs (a kind of tea with special processing) show considerable efficacy

[@ITSME-nd4xy]

@gamescomgamer - Short answer: it won't do what you think. It'll likely have little/no effect. Any claimed anecdotal effects will likely be from placebo effects. Within our body and especially in our brain, things are not that simple. Anything you eat & digest quickly gets broken down and decomposed (to extract its energy). So few probiotic organisms entering our stomach will survive. If they do survive, they need a safe place to rest. Our GI system is not such a place. They may find a place in the appendix (if you still have yours). However, even if "GABA producing bacteria" safely grow in your body (somewhere), the GABA they produce must reach not only your brain but specific areas. GABA is an important neurotransmitter required for much of our functioning & behavior. Any excess or deficits in specific areas will cause disorders or abnormalities. Any GABA produced in-vivo but outside the brain will be very unlikely to cross the blood-brain barrier (it's nearly impossible). If your blood-brain barrier is leaky (a serious disorder), then they still must reach the proper brain regions, in the correct proportions (ratios). Otherwise they can cause unforeseen side-effects. But more likely they will be intercepted by glial cells in the brain, and repurposed (converted) into other neurotransmitters. This will effectively remove any excess GABA that entered the brain.

[@howarddavies136]

It's probably a good idea to look at fasting to increase GABA. Check out Jason Fung or Thomas DeLauer, they have loads of good videos on fasting.

[@remasteredretropcgames3312]

This is great for specific sorts of computation apparently if the brain structures to do this sort of thing are well developed and have the metabolism to just plug that surge right in there usefully. In my case all this does is make me stupid, which it isnt much different than drinking alcohol. Lets be honest here.

[@michaelsegura5410]

Has anyone looked into the amalgamation or aluminum oxide and murcury in the brain and belly ??????????????? Kinda really both things that everyone takes in weather thru idk deodorants any cans and vaccines ....amalgamation creates long stalks of fibers and on a microscopic level do you not think it would cause the unfollowable patterns of autism ...... ???? I’m a local idiot and would love some answers pls I have friends that are autistic and after every shot and vaccine they are thrown into a state of excellerated autism and am very upset with our system and the ppl that divorce morality for money ...

[@shadowfox933]

Hello, I may have some form of answer for you. I don't know your friends, but I do happen to be autistic myself. To address your mentioning aluminum oxide and mercury, yes, it has been shown that some autistic individuals do possess higher levels of certain metals in their body, not just those two. However, this is not the case in many instances; in fact, it's rather uncommon as far as I'm aware. I have never been made aware of any such anomalies in myself, and I've had blood work performed on a regular basis throughout my life. As far as the vaccines are concerned, I'd be far more willing to wager that their "accelerated autism" is more a result of the sensory input regarding vaccines, in both the initial shot and the soreness afterward. The way you explained the timeline matches up with my experience, at least. I have always been a bit more irritable while my arm(s) are sore after getting shots, and I think it stands to reason that it wouldn't just be me. Injuries and sickness also have similar effects on me

[@colleenabbott1675]

We see a biomedical doctor and you have to have special texts sent out to test the blood for these heavy metals. My sons aluminum was off the charts high! His behavioral doctor at Children’s didn’t know what to do with it and just was like there is nothing we can do! So I was like screw this and went to a doctor that looks at my son medically and not just behaviorally! These kids are sick by a lot of what the test show if they get them done. My son also had so much yeast in his gut it’s insane! His immune system looked like someone with HIV it was so bad before we started supplements to help his immune system. There was a scientist who did autopsies on the brain of autistic people and people with dementia after they passed. Sadly some were kids due to accidents with autism. All of the kids with autism had like triple the amount of aluminum in the brain then someone Neuro typical. Yet this is pushed to the side like this study wasn’t done. It’s so sad what is happening in 2025 if it keeps going at the rate it is today it will be 1 in 2 boys with autism! Think about that man if that’s not a pandemic I don’t know what is!

[@michaelsegura5410]

@@colleenabbott1675 look into chelation therapy for removal on heavy metals hopefully it helps n god bless you n yours

[@colleenabbott1675]

@@michaelsegura5410 yes we have we do transdermal chelation :) thank you for also looking into this for your friends it’s a true problem!

[@cheryllawson4769]

So what ended up happening with the test information on the aluminum levels? Did you guys do chelation? How did you get rid of the yeast?

[@gabriellalaplace]

So, in boys.. the brain reward for social and money was not there. But, with oxytocin, they liked money more.. I'm female , I didn't care about bejewelled (game) on Facebook, but I know people who were extremely obsessded. They might have liked all the rewards. I'm not competitive, I don't know if the same is true for females and different 'racial compositions'.

[@Sensei_Sean]

Im very anti-competitive and i am a female with AS. Im also transgender and when i was a "boy"(haha sounds so silly to say) i hated competition, even as a baby "boy" and as a teenager as well. 🧩

[@imunderyourbedrun8227]

I am a guy, and have never cared for competition For instance, I won a gold medal freshmen year at districts for the 300m hurdles, fell at the end, and was removed of it However, this was a decision no one agreed with (not even coaches from others schools) I was probably the least concerned person there, I didn’t even care This is probably why, and it’s quite interesting

[@gabriellalaplace]

I might have mild autism. I don't feel high functioning . I'm guessing you tested females also.

[@amandarios448]

If they specifically didn't say only makes, then they tested females & males.

[@josiah42]

There's currently a really heavy bias in diagnosis that has been difficult to overcome because of stereotypes. In autistic social circles there's actually more females than males. I assume that's because they're more social, maybe? Don't discount yourself.

[@world_still_spins]

Anyone want to study my brain? You would pay for travel and expenses and the brain tests.

[@HappyHoney41]

I would be worried about addiction.

[@EZENS.]

They don’t need medication , we humans just got to understand that there is mutations in terms of what is considered a general norm . It would be beneficial to have empathy and be open about what that might mean - rather than trying to see it as an issue. I suggest that we could be inspired .... acknowledging that we are facing the evidence of a realm of new ways of perceiving the world and new ways of expressing and communicating with one another. If we surrender harsh judgments , autistic people are encouraged to discover their natural state of authenticity without trying to mask ones most natural impressions or behavior , And I suggest that this would lead to an increased amount of very empowered people within so called autism spectrum... and that will most certainly come with inspirational qualities for all of humanity. There is no problem in terms of the neurological differences ; the issue is if we fail to discover the gift qualities that nature has intended to integrate into our society .

[@lisasalinas1054]

Excuse me, I sense you want to help humans who suffer a brain injury. I am one of the moms. In your writing: "we surrender harsh judgments" you began a thought and then stopped. You forgot the word [to], and you misspelt judgement. Please download Grammarly to write succinctly. You will learn more, and get responses. My son has one form of "severe autism", but few severe behaviour problems, AFTER MUCH ABA learning (NOT training) and Biomedical treatment. He will never, in his life, make sense of your paragraph. But, if we have OPEN MINDs, we could calm the millions of children who, as professional neuropsychiatrist very easily recognize to be a head injury. We all need to recognize the diagnosis, with no known reason for this. What is this TBI from, I've spent 20 year looking at some explanations....

[@logibloc6061]

@@lisasalinas1054 Jesus christ! You called out dude for nitpicky grammar errors and look at that fucking mess you just spewed out. It's like you puked on your keyboard and this came out. You sure Mom, you aren't the one who is autistic?

[@vivosanchez3679]

@@logibloc6061 The irony

[@amandarios448]

Huh... Autistic people are not always high functioning and just need "understanding" and asspats. We don't have to force them to confirm but autism is a disorder, because it causes suffering and difficulty in daily functioning. Restlessness, difficulty concentrating, self-injurious behavior, difficulty understanding abstract thought, hurting other kids out if frustration, repetitive behavior that might hurt them. Don't put all autistic people in a bucket, while some autistic people are almost normal and can function independently. That's the minority. Autism is a disorder and you can bet many if them would choose for the medication themselves if that would make them feel even a little bit better. We cannot change how 98% of people function and the language they use, for 2% of people, also there is not only autism out there. There are many other people with conditions, we don't teach everybody Braille because 1 kid in class is blind. I'm sorry but that just doesn't work and it's not fair to others. You should offer people on ASD an easier way to learn like we do for blind or deaf kids, but you can't expect language & the world to change from having abstract concepts for example, so that everybody says concrete things for the comfort of autistic people. You know things like "draw blood" doesn't mean drawing blood on a paper, it means taking blood, and taking blood doesn't mean you're touching it with your hands. All languages have abstract things like this, the entire literature of the whole world is like this. While I believe in making accommodations, some if those accomodations are impossible and too much to wish for.

[@vivianbreedlove8493]

@@amandarios448 technically it's easier to just explain what draw blood means like you just have then have an ASD student learn the abstract. You wouldn't have to teach neurotypical to think like ASD , you would teach them how to be empathetic by accommodating them through either choosing different wording or providing explanation . Inversely, those on the spectrum such as myself can explain the literal to NT who lean towards abstract such as yourself. It works beautifully. Beautiful in this context means literally without hindrance., It doesn't remain meaning aesthetically appealing to abstractly describe the word work. Words usually have alternate definitions and don't require to use them with flexibility unless that is the intention of the writer.

[@Deeznutz503]

studying exclusively children is a lot less stressful for these professionals, and I think that is why they avoid focusing on us adults. and then we die younger

[@ExistenceUniversity]

Autism is hard, but I would never take a drug to make me a zombie (aka a normie)

[@NuitHadit]

Sex based phenotypical behavioral profiles are different for females and males in ASD, therefore we will ignore sex differences altogether in MRI scans.

[@gabriellalaplace]

If oxytocin increases trust, would that also be a bad thing

[@jon3706]

Yes, oxytocin actually has been used in marriage therapies and it's also been show to make people more truthful but it's still being researched so alot of results are anecdotal.

[@Catlily5]

Depends what environment you are in.

[@remasteredretropcgames3312]

We should use genetic engineering to create the cat girl master race and save humanity from the behavioral genetics of obliterating nations with nukes and replace it with chasing machine birds during play time.

[@marciamarquene5753]

C a gente se não tem nada de mais cedo pra mim não é fácil não tem como não ter mais não é assim que eu estava na minha conta

[@marciamarquene5753]

Foi o ET e é assim mesmo que é assim que eu estava na minha conta e não tem como fazer o

[@marciamarquene5753]

Foi bom dia que g a transferência do seu cartão de crédito para o dia todo dia que eu estava na minha conta não tem nada de mais não é o

[@marciamarquene5753]

F a transferência de trabalho para a transferência de crédito para mim não tem nada de mais não tem nada de mais não tem como fazer a gente não se não fosse o dia que eu estava na casa do meu pai que eu não tinha

[@marciamarquene5753]

Xv de um dia que g o que eu estava na casa da sua irmã e o dia todo dia que g a mensagem que eu estava com a gente e o que eu e a gente não se é assim mesmo que eu estava com

[@damon123jones]

seminars are a dead paradigm...

[@remasteredretropcgames3312]

Neuralink direct matrix hippocampal downloading. Less advanced workaround: If the first letter of the alphabet A equals 1, and B equals 2, and this pattern continues all the way to the final 26th letter. Now add all the letters values to the word Trinity and Morpheus together and what pattern do you notice? Neo. Wake up.

[@marciamarquene5753]

T do meu pai que g a gente não se não tem como não tem como não tem como fazer o dia todo e o que g a e a gente

[@Monjagetitonya]

How many moms took antibiotic for a vaginal infection right before giving birth have autistic children? These children don’t get the vaginal bacteria at birth that is needed for brain pruning. Thanks! Grandmother of 5 year old autistic boy!

[@dave4281]

So we should see a correlation between caesarian birth and autism?

[@remasteredretropcgames3312]

Lmao. Its definitely this simple. A++++ We should elect you into the science team.

[@curiositylearn369]

I never have any vaginal infection. I am the mother of 5 year autistic girl . What had wrong with me.

[@zeinababbas2960]

not targeted ,biased studies !

[@amandarios448]

There are several studies being discussed here I wonder what you are talking about if you haven't read the methodology to say where the faults are. Just curious, what/which part are you talking about

[@brendanwood1540]

@@amandarios448 I think maybe that it is biased only looking for evidence of a genetic cause. I believe there is a strong possibility that encephalitis could be linked to autism. In fact, the diagnosis is regularly confused between the two. Possibly co-infections of bacteria and virus, or immune anti-bodies play a role in the development of encephalitis especially in relationship to vaccine induced encephalitis. This could be what all these mothers with autistic children observed following vaccination as a result of progressive brain swelling and damage. n.neurology.org/content/78/1_Supplement/P03.151 Encephalitis after Vaccination in United States. A Report from the CDC/FDA Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System. [1990-2010] (P03.151) pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22227123/ Vaccinia virus-induced smallpox postvaccinal encephalitis in case of blood-brain barrier damage nn.neurology.org/content/6/3/e552 GABAA receptor autoimmunity onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/mdc3.12987 Movement Disorders Associated with GABAA Receptor Encephalitis: A Video Case Report www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214250920302742 Encephalitis with coinfection by Jamestown canyon virus (JCV) and varicella zoster virus (VZV) www.myvaccinelawyer.com/encephalitis ENCEPHALITIS FROM A VACCINE Encephalitis has been found to be triggered by adverse reactions to vaccinations, most commonly the TDaP/DTaP and MMR vaccines. Compare Symptoms then compare the long term effects of Encephalitis to Autism: www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/encephalitis/symptoms-causes/syc-20356136 Encephalitis Symptoms: -Confusion, agitation or hallucinations -Seizures -Loss of sensation or paralysis in certain areas of the face or body -Muscle weakness -Problems with speech or hearing -Loss of consciousness (including coma) In infants and young children, signs and symptoms might also include: -Bulging in the soft spots (fontanels) of an infant's skull -Nausea and vomiting -Body stiffness -Poor feeding or not waking for a feeding -Irritability www.webmd.com/brain/autism/symptoms-of-autism Autism signs and Symptoms: -Repetitive behaviors like hand-flapping, rocking, jumping, or twirling -Constant moving (pacing) and “hyper” behavior -Fixations on certain activities or objects -Specific routines or rituals (and getting upset when a routine is changed, even slightly) -Extreme sensitivity to touch, light, and sound -Not taking part in “make-believe” play or imitating others’ behaviors -Fussy eating habits -Lack of coordination, clumsiness -Impulsiveness (acting without thinking) -Aggressive behavior, both with self and others -Short attention span www.epainassist.com/brain/long-term-effects-of-encephalitis Long term effects of Encephalitis: Cognitive Damage Due To Encephalitis: Cognition is the ability of a person to think, remember and learn. In Encephalitis, a person’s some, not necessarily all; cognitive skills get damaged permanently or at least for long term. These damages are memory, ability to recall, speed of thinking, understanding and responding to a situation, ability of solving problems and also ability to concentrate as well as the understanding of how to use language. Out of 10 Encephalitis patients, 7 are found to have memory problems. Some even cannot remember how to talk and they have to be taught about this as well. When the memory problems are considered, the entire previously learned information is lost due to this cognitive damage. Also, learning new information becomes difficult as cognitive damage ruins those parts of the brain that help in learning new things. Coma as a Result of Encephalitis: One of the striking and most prominent after effects of Encephalitis is coma or loss of consciousness of the brain. It might last for a few seconds or even for a few weeks. But, it is an immediate impact that will certainly affect the brain. If not coma, the patient might have limited consciousness as well as go into a vegetative state of being. Communication Difficulties Caused Due To Encephalitis: In most of the cases, people have to suffer from the problem of communication. As communicating with others involve too many parts of the brain, damage in those parts may lead to difficulty in expressing feelings through language or words or even gestures. Sometimes, people have to be taught about how to talk all over again and also teach the use of language as they forget everything relating to this. Behavioral Changes Caused Due To Encephalitis: Although the difficulties such as in movement or in speech are the most striking ones as they can be seen, the more severe troubles that stay for long term are the behavioral changes. The most common change in behavior is mood swings. Sudden changes in mood and the inability to determine in what way the patient will accept a situation and in what way he or she will react to it becomes extremely difficult to understand. This change may occur and remain throughout the life. In most of the cases, the patients suffering from encephalitis are often found to have developed a sense of distress, utter hopelessness and helplessness. This often leads to severe sadness and a sense of depression that they fail to overcome and it persists for long. Apart from these, severe anger and anxiety is a permanent behavior among patients suffering from encephalitis. Even in little and trivial matters, there can be severe angry outbursts of the patient, absolutely unexpectedly. Movement Difficulties Caused Due To Encephalitis: Weakness, difficulty in the overall gait and also difficulty in walking are some of the common and yet long term adverse effect of viral Encephalitis. Along with these, there would be frequent and severe tremors of involuntary movements of the entire body, especially of the hands. This will trouble in holding any object. As sometimes, the entire gait and body posture of the patient gets damaged, he or she could finds extreme difficulty in walking or even in moving an object. Amnesia Caused Due To Encephalitis: To be more specific, Encephalitis often causes Post Traumatic Amnesia or PTA. In this condition, the patient is usually in a conscious state, but talks or behaves in a manner that is absolutely bizarre and uncharacteristic of that person. Epilepsy Due To Encephalitis: Yet another long term after effect of Encephalitis is epilepsy, this neurological disorder is a recurrent impact of damage in the brain. Marked by sensory disturbance often manifested in the form of convulsions and loss of consciousness, it is caused by the sudden and abnormal electrical activities that take place in the brain. These are the common long term effects of viral Encephalitis that can be encountered in most of the cases. Although, the occurrence of these phenomena largely varies from patient to patient, yet some of these will certainly be seen in most cases, even if the patient has been cured. There can be other difficulties too, such as hearing loss, blurred vision or visionary trouble as well as slurred speech. However, with proper therapies, these difficulties have often been cured.

[@colleenabbott1675]

@@brendanwood1540 thank you! I am so sick of people only thinking this could be genetics! I have a friend all three her kids are autistic and has gotten done mri and genetic testing. Not one of her kids have a genetic link connecting them to autism. No one can tell me my son wasn’t developing normal and then something happen. Not sure what caused it but his aluminum blood levels are pretty high and that was a children’s hospital doctor that did the bloodwork. Something is going on and money is in the way of helping this not happen to more children.

[@brendanwood1540]

@@colleenabbott1675 From what I have learned thus far; immunosuppressive medications can help reduce the effects of encephalitis; or especially autoimmune encephalitis. I don't know about aluminum at this point in the research; it could cause an immune response potentially. However, post vaccine encephalitis is a known side effect, and there are environmental factors that can compound the risk. Certain demographics might be more vulnerable; while statistics could mislead people into thinking demographic genetic concentrations relate to a genetic causation. Localized airborne pollution, disease outbreaks, water quality, and stress factors could increase the risk of a reaction. Currently I'm learning about the mechanisms that allow permeation of the BBB (Blood Brain Boundary). Viral cells can remain dormant in the body, usually in the lymph nodes. From there it spreads into the CNS (Central Nervous System) via the spinal column. I'm going to write a comparative analysis paper; I'll send you a dropbox link when complete (to share with your doctor). Normal progression of a viral infection would include an observable rash with flu like symptoms. After which, muscle fatigue and soreness. The motor neurons in the cerebral cortex are effected first. In some cases the whole brain. Once the cytokine release begins in the brain the immune antibodies can attach to neurons in the brain. Hence the immunosuppressive medication. Notes: Progression of Infection: - Skin dendritic cells to lymph node viremia. (Localized or injection site encephalitis) - Spread to CNS (Central Nervous System) Mechanisms by which viral infections can enter the CNS: - Retrograde Axonal Transport (Effects motor neurons spinal cord/cerebellum) - Hematogenous/Retrograde Neuron Transmission as Free/Cell Associated Varion (Effects all neurons regardless of brain region) Source: Symposium 11: Cytokines in neuroimmunology kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5Cak2ibbbt-l68&ab_channel=LabRoots *** Block quote on Aluminum research *** "SYNOPSIS Although the etiology of 90% of ASD is still largely unknown [20,21], a growing body of scientific literature shows that neuroimmune abnormalities (i.e., abnormal cytokine profiles, neuroinflammation and presence of autoantibodies against brain proteins) occur in ASD patients and may contribute to the diversity of ASD phenotypes [17,20,22-26]. Al is an experimentally demonstrated neurotoxin whose ability to impact the human nervous system has been known for decades [16,27-29]. For example, exposure to as little as 20 μg/kg bw of Al for period N10 days is sufficient to cause neurodevelopmental delays in preterm infants [28]. In addition, Al is a potent stimulator of the immune system, indeed this is the very reason why it is used as an adjuvant [14,30-34]. Given this, it remains surprising that in spite of over 80 years of use, the safety of Al adjuvants appears to rest largely on assumptions rather than experimental evidence. For example, nothing is known about the toxicology and pharmacokinetics of Al compounds in infants and children [35]. In addition, the mechanisms by which Al adjuvants interact with the immune system remain far from clear [34,35]. RESULT Countries with the highest ASD prevalence (i.e., UK, US, Australia and Canada) appear to have a higher exposure to Al from vaccines than do children from Scandinavian countries where autism prevalence is lower." Source: Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry: Do aluminum vaccine adjuvants contribute to the rising prevalence of autism? omsj.org/reports/tomljenovic%202011.pdf ^^^^^ It's interesting to note how the prevalence of ASD (Autism Spectral Disorder) is lower in Scandinavian countries. When the CDC published those papers on statistical studies they focused solely on a group of around 0.75 million children in Norway; a SCANDINAVIAN country. This whole thing stinks of a cover up with PR stunts. But it's also a bunch of geneticists who would make very bad detectives; They would quickly find themselves in trouble for profiling and potentially perjury.

[@brendanwood1540]

@@colleenabbott1675 If the diagnosis is changed to Encephalitis; your friend is entitled to compensation and they should seek legal council. If the symptoms came within 6 weeks of vaccination. I'd also like to make it perfectly clear that vaccines prevent many viral infections that can cause brain damage due to encephalitis. So there is no way to entirely mitigate the risk at this point. Without knowing more about the variables through a comparative analysis. Vaccination is still a good thing; however, it would be good to talk with your doctor about encephalitis before hand so that they are aware of risks, symptoms, diagnostic methods, and treatment options. I'm just a little bit autistic enough to tell you that not all doctors are created equal. There are some extraordinary exceptions in specialized fields. Likewise, not all doctors have the time to communicate like this and conduct comparative analysis to learn new things. Especially when the pharmaceutical, and medical device, industry doesn't want them to dwell on it. Like you said money. Personally I think their concealment of information does more harm than good; it does nothing to quell the doubts of concerned parents. They want real answers; what they observed was a clinical trial and the result. It's time the government woke up and realized the detrimental cost of healthcare for people afflicted with these conditions. Whatever harm it would cause to pharmaceutical companies, if any, the risk needs to be mitigated. They are still absolved of downstream liability and the taxpayers pay the compensation. There's no good reason not to be transparent about the potential side effects and treatment plans available to reduce harm caused by an adverse reaction like encephalitis; seems pretty cut and dry; Early detection and immunosuppressive medication. They can sell more medication, and more people would have faith in vaccines. Understanding that a virus like measles can cause even more significant harm. At least with the vaccine reaction we can treat it with medication. If a child has measles there is no easy cure. Many viral infections can remain in the body for life. It's much better to control the risk by vaccinating so long as reasonable precautions are taken. I wish the debate wasn't a debate at all; instead, I wish they would communicate like this and acknowledge the truth. I am livid seeing how people treat these mothers. Given what they are going through.

[@okitssteph]

The language used to describe your fellow humans and the urge to “treat” us so desperately is frankly disgusting. Stop researching how to fix us; we are not broken. Start educating society on how to be more accepting of differences.

[@dicktheaspergeron4988]

To treat Autism? Are you serious? This is the step taken to implement Eugenics. Who decides ? I love being me.

[@remasteredretropcgames3312]

Ironically if you used CRISPR and cloning, of someone like Elon Musk who has this range of traits, you would be creating the scientific master race, which the first nation using gene drives would ultimately be impossible to compete with. Remember not all human behavior patterns, personality, or processing modalities are necessarily very useful in parallel or computers have made certain competencies reliable convenience but far inferior abilities comparative to the silicone CPU.

[@ponponpatapon9670]

@@remasteredretropcgames3312 ok but why would you choose Elon Musk. choose any other genius - preferably, someone who is *actually* a genius and not an insane megalomaniac narcissist

[@remasteredretropcgames3312]

@@ponponpatapon9670 The polar opposite of a narcissist manipulator is someone whos actually fascinated with things, not people, and a legit polymath.

[@jonnybingham1]

Does anyone find this whole thing just a bit unempathic. Treating humans like lab rats?

[@remasteredretropcgames3312]

My favorite part is the articles saying we have "too many" neurons in the region most associated with sentience. Interestingly, it probably has a very direct correlation with the real general intelligence IQ testing ignores beyond language relevant sections. Most of it an x86 with its garbage little FPU would obliterate all of mankind. Even the most narrowly gifted math and spatial Savants.

[@gratefulkm]

THE CORTEX DOES NOT MATTER in regards to Autism Your all barking up the wrong tree