Is nitric oxide (NO) the cause of autism?

When I wrote in a previous post that the cause of the suppressed ability to synthesize nitric oxide (NO) by the eNOS enzyme in our blood vessels in middle and old age could be its increased concentration in younger age, caused by insufficient exposure to ground-level ozone O3 in our surrounding environment, I had no idea that scientists had already begun to connect autism with an excess of NO. But we will look at this study later, first we will look at the statistics from Northern Ireland. Few countries have such well-processed data. I do not assume that the situation would be fundamentally different from, for example, the Czech Republic. The numbers are very alarming. 

Nitric oxide as a cause of autism (ASD)

Autism is characterized as a developmental disorder characterized by abnormal social interaction, constant repetitive patterns of behavior and impaired communication skills. The causes of autism are unknown, it is generally believed that a combination of genetic predispositions and other factors are behind autism spectrum disorders. The statistics are relentlessly increasing, if we try to predict the future based on current curves, human society as we know it today would have to fall apart in a few decades, but it certainly won't be like this. There are always some possibilities, some solutions that we do not yet know about today.

For idea. So what does the situation look like in Northern Ireland in 2023? Autism in some form has 5% of school children, 2.7% of girls and 7.3% of boys, i.e. one in fourteen! Only 18% of these children do not require special care, 59% are in the most affected group. I won't comment further, see the graphs for yourself. I will just point out the ratio of occurrence in urban and rural areas, that is the effect of the environment, perhaps the misunderstood effect of ground-level ozone on our nitric oxide.



So much for autism per se. Now we will look at the effect of NO on the nervous system and the effect on the ability of social interaction. The study was conducted on a special mouse model. They are genetically modified mice, they show changes in social interaction similar to autism, so they serve as a model for its research.

The researchers came to the conclusion that it is precisely the excessive increase in nitric oxide production that is the hallmark of the autistic mouse model. In addition, studies in children also show the presence of proteins damaged by NO stress excess. By influencing the production of NO towards an increase or suppression, they were able to influence the behavior of the mice to such an extent that by suppressing the production of NO in nerve cells (the enzyme nNOS), they were able to almost completely reverse the changes in the social interactions of autistic mice. On the contrary, supplements increasing the production of NO worsened the manifestations of autism.

They also confirmed their suspicion that changes in the nervous system are caused by stress caused by an increased concentration of NO, using experiments with the nerve tissues and cells themselves. They do not claim that this is the only possible cause, but their results are very important for clarifying the causes of autism and for further research.

If it were confirmed that substances stimulating the production of NO given, for example, during pregnancy, can affect the nervous system of the fetus (e.g. antidepressants, SSRIs, which affect serotonin and therefore also NO, or water and food containing nitrates), this would be a clear signal for the exclusion of all foods and drugs that increase NO production in pregnancy and childhood. I consider it important to draw attention to the possible main source of increased NO, namely the increased consumption of nitrates contained in vegetables, especially green leafy ones. Nitrates and nitrites in childhood are probably much more harmful than in adulthood.

Another source of nitrates and nitrites is processed meat products. And my hypothesis about the effect of decreased concentration of ground-level ozone in urban agglomerations and building interiors would elegantly explain such a significant difference between the incidence of autism in cities and in the countryside.


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References:

Autism spectrum

Prevalence of Autism (including Asperger Syndrome) in School Age Children in Northern Ireland

The NO Answer for Autism Spectrum Disorder

haidut - Nitric oxide (NO) causes autism, blocking NO reverses autism

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