I suggest you start by reading Part 1. Click here for Part 1
Choice of Statin
I chose atorvastatin. Some statins are derived from fungi, but atorvastatin is synthetic. Lovastatin and simvastatin are pro-drugs, whereas atorvastatin is already in an active form straight out of the box. Absorption of atorvastatin decreases when taken with food. Due to its long half-life, atorvastatin can be administered at any time of day.
At
MIT researchers have found that the statin Lovastatin “can correct Fragile X syndrome”.
The
anti-oxidant effect of statins
Given the minimal side effects, that was more than enough evidence for me to start some primary research of my own. Step one was to try atorvastatin myself.
Click here for - Statins Part 3
Choice of Statin
Some
statins are soluble in fats/lipids (lipophilic) and some are more soluble in
water. In order to cross the blood brain
barrier (BBB) to reach the cerebellum and the Purkinje Cell Layer (PCL) a
lipophilic statin will be required.
There is a choice of three: - atorvastatin, lovastatin, and
simvastatin. These are also among the
most commonly prescribed for cholesterol reduction and so are widely available
and inexpensive.
I chose atorvastatin. Some statins are derived from fungi, but atorvastatin is synthetic. Lovastatin and simvastatin are pro-drugs, whereas atorvastatin is already in an active form straight out of the box. Absorption of atorvastatin decreases when taken with food. Due to its long half-life, atorvastatin can be administered at any time of day.
Atorvastatin
is approved for use in children as young as 10 and in the US is prescribed to
children as young as 5.
Atorvastatin,
originally made by Pfizer under name Lipitor, is the best-selling drug in the history of the pharmaceutical
industry. It came off patent recently
and so the price has collapsed to a very reasonable level.
In
some countries the low dose forms are available over the counter, without a
prescription.
More Related
Research
The
research effort into degenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is far
more prolific than into autism. The
closest research to my hypothesis that statins will “perk up the Purkinje cells”
is this study:-
Fragile
X syndrome
Fragile
X syndrome is a genetic syndrome that leads to autistic behaviours. About 5% of the cases defined as autism are
due to this genetic flaw. It also
results in certain physical differences, namely:-
- Large, protruding ears (one or both)
- Long face (vertical maxillary excess)
- High-arched palate (related to the above)
- Hyper extensible finger joints
- Hyper extensible ('Double-jointed') thumbs
- Flat feet
- Soft skin
- Hypotonia (low muscle tone)
- single palm crease (crease goes across entire palm)
I
presume what is actually happening, is that in Fragile X there is also
neuroinflammation and this has been reduced by the statin, rather than correcting the syndrome.
Retts
Syndrome
Retts syndrome is another genetic disorder that causes regression and autism-like
behaviours. It affects mainly girls,
because male fetuses with the disorder rarely survive to term. The prognosis is not good.
Research is underway with statins and currently shows
that statins
improve symptoms of Rett syndrome in mice.
Statins and
depression
A large study of patients with heart disease examined the difference between
those on statins and those not. Very
interesting was the finding that those on statins had better mental health (i.e.
less depression).
Statins: Mechanisms of
neuroprotection
A very thorough
presentation of the effect of statins and their possible mechanisms along with
a review of their use in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis and
strokes, is in the excellent paper:- Statins: Mechanisms of neuroprotection
A
study called The anti-oxidant effect of statins, looks very interesting, but
only the abstract is freely available. Here is the summary:-
"A number of recent
reports have shown that statins may also have important anti-inflammatory
effects, in addition to their effects on plasma lipids. Since inflammation is
closely linked to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), the
molecular basis of the observed anti-inflammatory effects of statins may relate
to their ability block the production and/or activity of ROS. In this review,
we will discuss both the inhibition of ROS generation by statins, through
interference with NAD(P)H oxidase expression and activity, and the actions of
statins that serve to blunt the damaging effects of these radicals, including
effects on antioxidant enzymes, lipid peroxidation, LDL cholesterol oxidation
and nitric oxide synthase. These antioxidant effects of statins likely
contribute to their clinical efficacy in treating cardiovascular disease as
well as other chronic conditions associated with increased oxidative stress in
humans."
Conclusion
Given the minimal side effects, that was more than enough evidence for me to start some primary research of my own. Step one was to try atorvastatin myself.
My
hypothesis is that atorvastatin will reduce autistic behaviours and that the
mechanism is the reduction of neuroinflammation in the cerebellum and particularly in the
Purkinje Cell Layer (PCL). I believe that this will be valid regardless of the type of autism.
The
beneficial secondary effect will be reduction in LDL cholesterol, which is typically
elevated in cases of autism.