Asperger Syndrome Tied To Low Cortisol Levels 156
caffiend666 writes "According to a Health Day article, low levels of a stress hormone may be responsible for the obsession with routine and dislike for new experiences common in children with a certain type of autism. 'This study suggests that children with AS may not adjust normally to the challenge of a new environment on waking,' study researcher David Jessop, from the University of Bristol, said in the news release. 'This may affect the way they subsequently engage with the world around them.'"
Asperger's is a made up disease (Score:0, Interesting)
To give social misfits an excuse. 92% of all cases are self-diagnosed.
Re:Article (Score:5, Interesting)
FTFA:
But as a diagnosed asperger's sufferer myself, NONONONONONONONO! This is EXACTLY the type of wrong response we've been getting all along to this disease. No, you don't "steer the children away" from situations, you train them to find other ways to deal with the situation. And you work on research to find other ways to increase Cortisol production.
I think it would help mightily if the researchers on High Functioning Autism, actually had High Functioning Autism themselves. Then maybe we'd have suggestions that would really help in the real world.
I have 5 mod points that I won't use here. (Score:4, Interesting)
Anyway....
I never see these studies that say they weed out child abuse. I know for a fact (sorry no cites or sites and I'm relying on personal experience here ... ) that child abuse will result in the same symptoms as Asperger's. That's what I'm wondering. You have one crowd who's looking for a biological reason and another who's looking for a behavioral.
I don't know what to say. We're complex and any studies like this needs to be taken with a grain of salt or two.
What a waste of research... (Score:0, Interesting)
...for a fake disease.
Re:Article (Score:4, Interesting)
Basically, you just said "maybe... maybe not".
Yup, I'm guessing that administering cortisol was beyond the scope of the experiment. We won't know the answer until someone tries it.
This is good science. It leaves the reader with more questions than it answered. That means MORE FUNDING!
Re:WHAT? (Score:5, Interesting)
Parent's comment, while appearing funny, has more than a grain of truth.
I have been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, and while it certainly comes with some challenges, I wouldn't change the fact that I have it. I wouldn't want to give up the quirks and abilities that have been a part of me my whole life. A quote [blogspot.com] seems appropriate here:
"Not everyone on the autism spectrum wants to be cured." -- Sigourney Weaver
(Note: I have nothing to do with the linked blog.)
Re:WTF? (Score:4, Interesting)
I like BSing with my coworkers as much as the next guy but lets be honest: people being social = less work getting done.
Prednisone (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Prednisone (Score:3, Interesting)
I posted earlier (as anon there too); I am suspected of having Asperger's. I do have Crohn's Disease and have spent a great deal of my life on Prednisone (so much of it that I had osteoporosis by 18 years old). I've had Asperger's symptoms my entire life, but only began treatment for Crohn's when I was diagnosed with it at 12. Reading this article makes me think that these things may be related.
Re:WHAT? (Score:3, Interesting)
but how much MORE effective would you be if you could talk to real people like you talk to slashdotters? How much more could you contribute if you could function in "management" type discussions... that we all avoid to live in mom's basement.
Re:I have 5 mod points that I won't use here. (Score:3, Interesting)
But this study leads credence to links with child abuse. Cortisol is a stress hormone. Abuse is a stress inducer. Right there is a good place to start. Maybe a cause of Asperger is cortisol resistence (as opposed to a lack of cortisol) brought on by excessive stress, either chronic or at critical points in brain development.
Biological and behavioral causes are intertwined. Research is not a zero sum game. (Though research funding can seem to be at times.)
This article makes it sound as if AS was bad (Score:3, Interesting)
In my view (and I have many AS traits), Asperger's Syndrome is not a bad thing - AS people are more creative, more courageous and morally/ethically more daring than the average (so-called neurotypical) person. AS people are disproportionately more responsible for human advancements. They're also very honest (mostly not capable of lying and conversely, naively trusting that everybody else is like them, unable to lie).
We need more aspies, not less.
Re:Article (Score:2, Interesting)
It's odd the amount of geeks that seem eager to be diagnosed with Aspergers... as if that excuses their perceived failings, allows them to blame it on a condition they have no control over... or perhaps it simply is a badge of being a 'true' geek.
It occurs to me that this post seems critical of geeks; I don't mean that, it's probably my asperger's acting up. We all have flaws, but imagining that a defect is out of our control when it truly isn't, ensures that it will probably never be corrected. It stunts growth.
Other Cortisol Links (Score:3, Interesting)
Looking around, Cortisol is one of those good/bad things.
http://www.south-florida-personal-trainer.com/stress.html [south-flor...rainer.com] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortisol [wikipedia.org]
Looks like it's mostly understood on a physical level with only a little understood about it's neurological impacts. Physically, it sounds like it tells your body to 'break down and rebuild'. A little bit of cortisol, it works like growth hormone. A lot of cortisol, your body ends up useless mush. I can imagine no cortisol means your body is basically incapable of new things; Wikipedia lists low-cortisol impacts like Addison's_disease, Hypoglycemia , and learning impairment. Sounds like the researchers are taking a physical effect and applying it mentally as well.
Re:WHAT? (Score:3, Interesting)
Suppose you fall in love with and marry someone else on the autism spectrum. Suppose there's a significant chance of your kids having severe autism of the locked-in variety. It might be nice to have a nice treatment or cure in the toolbox.
Re:WTF? (Score:3, Interesting)
I have mod-points, but I'd rather post.
I'd like to echo the sibling post and say thanks for linking - I came across that article maybe 2 months ago, and it -perfectly- mirrors my working environment and habits.
However, your off-the-cuff comment regarding productivity seems poorly timed. This current /. article [slashdot.org] cites a study that says a worker that spends a reasonable proportion of their working day browsing (~20%) is 9% more productive than a worker who grinds through the day. Maybe this is due to a mental page-out during a context switch, but it seems to clear the mind. Some people go for a smoke, though the productivity effects of that break are presumably partially from the nicotine hit, as well as the switch. Others have a 5 minute chat around the water cooler, others prefer /.. It seems that a break that gives the brain time to develop a 1000-yard stare and run the garbage cleaner helps concentration levels. Of course, if the water-cooler chats go for 3 hours, that's not helping anyone.
~/Rockwolf
Re:WHAT? (Score:3, Interesting)
Would you be willing to give up the label "Aspergers"?
Re:Coincidence? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:WHAT? (Score:3, Interesting)
I find it odd that several people are saying that they would prefer not to be cured. Likely the "cure" is actually an ongoing treatment of adding cortisol to the system. One could TRY this out for a short period to see if they like being in that state of mind better. If they find they lose more than they gain, they could stop the treatment and return to the Asperger's state.
I recently experienced an Addisonian Crisis, in which my cortisol levels dropped very low. It was a nightmarish state to be in, and I could not think or function properly until weeks later when my cortisol came back into balance. If AS is even a small step in the direction of that low-cortisol dementia, I would highly recommend at least trying the treatment. One might discover entire aspects of their mind and self that have been unavailable before.