DNA repair could lessen autism
Thursday, 12 November 2009
University of South Australia

South Australian scientists have embarked on a new research program looking at whether DNA damage is greater in children with autism than in children without autism.

The University of South Australia’s Sansom Institute for Health Research, together with CSIRO Food and Nutritional Sciences and Flinders University, will also investigate whether certain vitamins and other nutrients can help treat some aspects of autism.

Dr Manya Angley from the Sansom Institute’s Autism Research Group says United States researchers have shown that the folate/methionine metabolic pathway, which involves key chemical reactions in the body, is significantly different in many children with autism compared to non-autistic children.

“This pathway is involved in many key biochemical functions, especially maintenance of healthy DNA,” she said.

Professor Michael Fenech from CSIRO and University of South Australia says the study will be carried out in two parts.

“The first part aims to establish whether Australian children with autism have an abnormal folate-methionine pathway by looking at levels of certain chemicals in their blood and determining if there is a relationship with autism behaviour,” he said.

“The second part looks at whether giving supplements to correct the blood profile improves autism behaviours.
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