Yes! I believe this may be exactly what is happening. I have had my cortisol levels checked and this is true for me. Thank you very much! Yes, could you please share the links?
OK. The links.
Not all research is pure scientific. Many are financed by the Pharma Mafia (like Ritalin) or Behavioral therapists (Like ABA, CBT). So i am careful and sometimes i disagree with conclusions they make. But i look at the facts they find. Not at the interpretations...
OK.
Autism Linked With Stress Hormone Levels:
->
Autism Linked With Stress Hormone Levels
Normally, people
have a surge of this hormone [
stress hormone cortisol ]
shortly after waking, with levels gradually decreasing throughout the day. It is thought this surge makes the brain alert, preparing the body for the day and helping the person to be aware of changes happening around them.
However, a study led by Dr Mark Brosnan and Dr Julie Turner-Cobb from the Department of Psychology at the University of Bath, and Dr David Jessop from the University of Bristol, has found that
children with Asperger Syndrome (AS) do not experience this surge.
Absence of a normal Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR) in adolescent males with Asperger Syndrome (AS)
->
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306453009000638?via=ihub
Our ability to react to change is modulated by the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, a feature of which is a dramatic increase in
cortisol upon waking, the
Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR). This study examined whether the CAR was evident in 20 adolescent males with
Asperger Syndrome (AS) and 18 age-matched typically developing (TD) controls (aged 11–16). Whilst a significant CAR was evidenced in the TD control group, this was not the case for those with AS. A normal diurnal decrease in cortisol, however, was evident in both groups.
My remarks on both articles (they describe the same research from 2009) is the conclusion. They conclude on the hypothesis that some behavior of Autistics is based on the low level of Cortisol compared to NT's.
But that is just a side-remark. (I found other more important influences/cause, but that is another story).
A more broad intro to Cortisol:
->
Cortisol and the Immune Response
What is Cortisol?
Cortisol is a steroid hormone, classified as a member of the glucocorticoid family of hormones. Cortisol is involved in a plethora of physiological processes in order to maintain homeostatic conditions in the body (McEwan et al, 2007).
Cortisol is produced by the adrenal gland in response to stress and reduced levels of blood-sugar (Kamba et al, 2016); however, importantly cortisol is also released in a circadian fashion under homeostatic conditions (Krieger et al, 1971).
Key Takeaways
- Cortisol, a glucocorticoid hormone, is crucial for stress response, immune regulation, and maintaining homeostasis.
- It modulates inflammation through specific molecular pathways and is essential in the body's response to stress and blood sugar levels.
- Dysregulated cortisol levels are linked to various diseases, including autoimmune disorders and certain cancers.
- Its role in cancer therapy is complex and varies depending on the type of cancer.
OK. Next.
Next article is rich, but voluminous and very detailed.
I give the link, but do not advice to read it and trying to understand it.
I noted a remark in it that i highlight out of it, since it supports one of my own hypotheses.
->
Transcriptome analysis reveals dysregulation of innate immune response genes and neuronal activity-dependent genes in autism
Short: "
...implicating dysregulated microglial responses in concert with altered neuronal activity-dependent genes in autism brains. These observations provide pathways and candidate genes that highlight the interplay between innate immunity and neuronal activity in the aetiology of autism."
This means:
In Autism, Neuronal processes (brain activity) influence the immune system. This is remarkable the opposite of that the immune system causes some parts of Autistic behavior.
OK some more background of the link between Autism (ASD Spectrum) and the immune system:
Association of Food Allergy and Other Allergic Conditions With Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children
->
Association of Allergies With Autism Spectrum Disorder
Conclusions and Relevance In a nationally representative sample of US children, a significant and positive association of common allergic conditions, in particular food allergy, with ASD was found. Further investigation is warranted to elucidate the causality and underlying mechanisms.
Next:
Immune Dysfunction and Autoimmunity as Pathological Mechanisms in Autism Spectrum Disorder
2018->
Immune Dysfunction and Autoimmunity as Pathological Mechanisms in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Outstanding questions and conclusion:
The evidence that immune dysfunction likely plays a role in the etiology/pathophysiology of ASD is becoming substantial. Familial autoimmunity is a common risk factor, and maternal autoantibodies and inflammation during gestation significantly increase the risk of having a child with ASD. Furthermore, individuals with ASD have significant immune dysfunction and inflammation. They also suffer from immune-mediated co-morbidities much more often than the typically developing population, including GI dysfunction and dysbiosis. The presence of autoantibodies in individuals with ASD is increased, and evidence of neuroinflammation has been substantiated both
in vivo and in post-mortem brain tissue. Although the plethora of evidence identifying a connection between autoimmunity, immune dysfunction, and ASD (summarized in Figure
Figure3)3) is tantalizing, it still leaves many mechanistic questions regarding the impact of immune system dysfunction on the development of ASD.
Again i make the note that i have strong reasons to doubt that Auto-immunity is (a) cause of ASD.
In stead i pose the hypothesis that ASD is the cause of auto-immune reactions.
For example: The fact that statistics show that mothers who have Auto-immune reactions more often have Autistic children, could also be that because those mothers (age 20-40) are NOT YET DIAGNOSED autistics themselves.
I show this picture, because it has a lot of information in it:
OK... Last one...
Another Step Toward Defining an Immune-Mediated Subtype of Autism Spectrum Disorder
I would not name it a "subtype". i would name it "ASD is an Immune-Mediated 'Disorder'."
2018->
A Step Toward Defining an Immune-Mediated Subtype of Autism Spectrum Disorder
Children with ASD were significantly more likely than those without ASD to have food allergy (11.25% vs 4.25%), respiratory allergy (18.73% vs 12.08%), and skin allergy (16.81% vs 9.84%). The likelihood of the child having ASD more than doubled among children with food allergy compared with those without food allergy; children with respiratory and skin allergy were also significantly more likely to have ASD, but at a lesser magnitude. While no sex difference was found for food allergy, boys with ASD were significantly more likely than girls with ASD to have respiratory and skin allergy.
...
In the Discussion section of their article, Xu and colleagues
1 review other aspects of immune dysfunction reported in ASD, including abnormalities in peripheral immunoglobulins, imbalance of T-cell subsets, and increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines in postmortem brains of patients with ASD. Considering the significant association between food, respiratory, and skin allergy in children with ASD reported by Xu and colleagues, in conjunction with numerous studies documenting aspects of immune dysfunction in patients with ASD and specific animal models of ASD,
7 evidence continues to mount that an immune-mediated subtype of ASD should continue to be pursued and defined.
OK.
I hope this info can help you to prevent wrong choices to be made.
Sander
