Introduction - Neues Projekt

The main problem of autism spectrum disorder is limited short-term memory and decreased learning ability resulting in attention deficit, poor speech development, decreased motor, emotional, and intellectual development.

Autism is associated with increased glutamate and decreased GABA receptor activity (decreased GAD 67 activity) and the work of AE. Purcell (PMID 11706102), show that there is a major dysregulation of genes in the brain of autistic children.

At the turn of the millennium, the genetic cause of Rett syndrome was elucidated (PMID 10508514), and review of MeCP2 mutations in autism spectrum disorder revealed increased methylation of MeCP2 promoters with reduced MeCP2 gene expression (PMID17486179, 19132145, 19000991) in nerve cells of the frontal lobe and cerebellum. The reduced MeCP2 expression also results in a regulatory disorder of many subsequent genes (PMID 25082535, 24448211).

Also interesting is the description that faulty DNA methylation of genes and their promoters by DNMT1 occurs throughout the genome (PMID 27150399) and that 5-hydroxymethylcytosine is of increasing importance in the epigenetic regulation of genes via TET-methylcytosine dioxygenase - in particular autism - in the literature (PMID 24757058, 27356236, 23042784).

Regarding the regulation of TET-methylcytosine dioxygenase, it is known that vitamin C increases these significantly (TET 3, PMID 23548903), but MeCP2 also intervenes here (TET 1, PMID 28594324). Overall, this results in an exciting scientific perspective, possibly an important cause of autism spectrum disorder is hidden here, but for the time being there is no therapeutic option.

In recent years, however, there was also evidence that steroid hormones in very low concentrations clearly interfere with nerve cell function (PMID 25057049, 23886595).

Also important are studies showing that E2 (17 beta estradiol) and DHT (dihydrotestosterone) are important for LTP and LTD (PMID26483631) and have a significant influence on the signal processing of nerve cells. CYP450 aromatase also seems to be of increasing importance (PMID21749911, 19710328, 19420261), a therapeutic approach would be conceivable and possible (PMID22705581).