Rossignol Daniel A, Rossignol Lanier W
Blue Ridge Medical Center, 4038 Thomas Nelson Highway, Arrington, VA 22922, USA.
Med Hypotheses. 2006;67(2):216-28. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2006.02.009. Epub 2006 Mar 22.
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that currently affects as many as 1 out of 166 children in the United States. Recent research has discovered that some autistic individuals have decreased cerebral perfusion, evidence of neuroinflammation, and increased markers of oxidative stress. Multiple independent single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET) research studies have revealed hypoperfusion to several areas of the autistic brain, most notably the temporal regions and areas specifically related to language comprehension and auditory processing. Several studies show that diminished blood flow to these areas correlates with many of the clinical features associated with autism including repetitive, self-stimulatory and stereotypical behaviors, and impairments in communication, sensory perception, and social interaction. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been used with clinical success in several cerebral hypoperfusion syndromes including cerebral palsy, fetal alcohol syndrome, closed head injury, and stroke. HBOT can compensate for decreased blood flow by increasing the oxygen content of plasma and body tissues and can even normalize oxygen levels in ischemic tissue. In addition, animal studies have shown that HBOT has potent anti-inflammatory effects and reduces oxidative stress. Furthermore, recent evidence demonstrates that HBOT mobilizes stem cells from human bone marrow, which may aid recovery in neurodegenerative diseases. Based upon these findings, it is hypothesized that HBOT will improve symptoms in autistic individuals. A retrospective case series is presented that supports this hypothesis.
自闭症是一种神经发育障碍，目前在美国每166名儿童中就有1人受其影响。最近的研究发现，一些自闭症患者存在脑灌注减少、神经炎症迹象以及氧化应激标志物增加的情况。多项独立的单光子发射计算机断层扫描（SPECT）和正电子发射断层扫描（PET）研究表明，自闭症患者大脑的多个区域存在灌注不足，最明显的是颞叶区域以及与语言理解和听觉处理特别相关的区域。多项研究表明，这些区域血流量减少与自闭症相关的许多临床特征有关，包括重复、自我刺激和刻板行为，以及沟通、感觉知觉和社交互动方面的障碍。高压氧疗法（HBOT）在包括脑瘫、胎儿酒精综合征、闭合性颅脑损伤和中风在内的几种脑灌注不足综合征的临床治疗中取得了成功。HBOT可以通过增加血浆和身体组织的氧含量来补偿血流量的减少，甚至可以使缺血组织中的氧水平恢复正常。此外，动物研究表明，HBOT具有强大的抗炎作用并能减轻氧化应激。此外，最近的证据表明，HBOT可动员人骨髓中的干细胞，这可能有助于神经退行性疾病的恢复。基于这些发现，推测HBOT将改善自闭症患者的症状。本文呈现了一个回顾性病例系列来支持这一假设。
