April 26, 2024

Autism Breakthrough: New Treatment Significantly Improves Social Skills and Brain Function

The success of the research study has substantial implications for the applicability and understanding of pressure chamber therapy as a treatment for autism.
According to Fischer and Barak, hyperbaric medication is a kind of treatment in which patients are treated in unique chambers where the climatic pressure is higher than the pressure we experience at sea level, and they are likewise provided 100% oxygen to breathe. Scientific proof has actually accumulated in current years that particular protocols of hyperbaric treatments boost the supply of blood and oxygen to the brain, consequently increasing brain function.
Despite the range of sources of autism, the whole spectrum of behavioral issues associated with it are still included under the single broad heading of autism, and the medications and treatments offered do not necessarily correspond directly to the reason why the autism developed.”
Because the pressure chamber treatment is non-intrusive and has been found to be safe, our findings are encouraging and show that this treatment may improve these behavioral and neurological elements in humans as well, in addition to using a clinical description of how they take place in the brain.”

According to Fischer and Barak, hyperbaric medicine is a sort of treatment in which patients are dealt with in special chambers where the climatic pressure is higher than the pressure we experience at sea level, and they are also provided 100% oxygen to breathe. Hyperbaric medicine is already being used to deal with a wide range of medical conditions and is thought about to be safe. Scientific evidence has accumulated recently that certain procedures of hyperbaric treatments improve the supply of blood and oxygen to the brain, thereby increasing brain function.
Dr. Barak: “The medical causes of autism are many and differed, and eventually develop the diverse autistic spectrum with which we recognize. About 20 percent of autistic cases today are described by hereditary causes, that is, those including hereditary flaws, however not necessarily ones that are acquired from the parents. In spite of the range of sources of autism, the whole spectrum of behavioral problems associated with it are still included under the single broad heading of autism, and the treatments and medications used do not necessarily correspond straight to the reason that the autism established.”
In the initial phase of the study, a woman bring the mutation in the SHANK3 gene, which is understood to lead to autism, was dealt with by Prof. Shai Efrati, director of the Sagol Center for Hyperbaric Medicine at the Shamir “Assaf Harofeh” Medical Center, a professors member at the Sagol School of Neuroscience, and a partner in the research study. Upon finishing a series of treatments in the pressure chamber, it appeared that the womans social capabilities and brain function had actually enhanced considerably.
In the next phase, and in order to comprehend the success of the treatment more deeply, the team of scientists at Dr. Baraks laboratory sought to understand what being in a pressurized chamber does to the brain. To this end, the scientists used adult animal models carrying the same hereditary mutation in the SHANK3 gene as that brought by the girl who had actually been treated. The experiment consisted of a protocol of 40 one-hour treatments in a pressure chamber, which lasted numerous weeks.
Dr. Barak: “We discovered that treatment in the oxygen-enriched pressure chamber reduces swelling in the brain and results in an increase in the expression of substances responsible for enhancing blood and oxygen supply to the brain, and therefore brain function. In addition, we saw a decline in the number of microglial cells, body immune system cells that indicate swelling, which is related to autism.
” Beyond the neurological findings we discovered, what interested us more than anything was to see whether these improvements in the brain also resulted in an enhancement in social habits, which is known to be impaired in autistic individuals,” includes Dr. Barak.
” To our surprise, the findings revealed a significant improvement in the social behavior of the animal designs of autism that went through treatment in the pressure chamber compared to those in the control group, who were exposed to air at typical pressure, and without oxygen enrichment. The animal designs that went through treatment displayed increased social interest, preferring to invest more time in the business of brand-new animals to which they were exposed in contrast to the animal models from the control group.”
Inbar Fischer concludes: “The mutation in the animal models corresponds the anomaly that exists in humans. For that reason, our research study is likely to have medical implications for improving the pathological condition of autism resulting from this hereditary anomaly, and most likely also of autism coming from other causes. Due to the fact that the pressure chamber treatment is non-intrusive and has actually been discovered to be safe, our findings are motivating and demonstrate that this treatment may enhance these neurological and behavioral aspects in human beings too, in addition to providing a scientific explanation of how they occur in the brain.”
Referral: “Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Alleviates Social Behavior Dysfunction and Neuroinflammation in a Mouse Model for Autism Spectrum Disorders” by Inbar Fischer, Sophie Shohat, Gilad Levy, Ela Bar, Sari Schokoroy Trangle, Shai Efrati and Boaz Barak, 21 September 2022, International Journal of Molecular Sciences.DOI: 10.3390/ ijms231911077.

The scientists prepare for that the studys success will have favorable implications for scientific treatment.
The treatment triggered neurological changes, consisting of a reduction in swelling and a boost in functionality, according to the scientists.
The researchers found modifications in the brain, consisting of a decline in neuroinflammation, which has actually been connected to autism. The success of the research has substantial ramifications for the applicability and understanding of pressure chamber therapy as a treatment for autism.
Inbar Fischer, a Ph.D. trainee in Dr. Boaz Baraks laboratory at Tel Aviv Universitys Sagol School of Neuroscience and School of Psychological Sciences, led the team that made the discovery. The findings were recently published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.