MOLECULE LINKED TO DOWN’S SYNDROME

[Drakes_Dad]

MOLECULE LINKED TO DOWN’S SYNDROME

Tuesday, 06 December 2005 12:07
BNN: British Nursing News Online · www.bnn-online.co.uk

Researchers from King’s College London believe they have identified a molecule central to the treatment of people with Down’s syndrome.

The Institute of Psychiatry team found people with the condition have higher levels of myo-inositol in their brains and that this can cause reduce intellectual ability.

Down’s syndrome is one of the most common genetic causes of mental impairment and is caused when a child has three copies of chromosome 21, rather than the usual two.

The researchers revealed that one of the genes on chromosome 21 controls levels of a protein that pumps myo-inositol into the brain. The extra copy of this gene in Down’s syndrome patients could explain the increased levels of the molecule in the brain.

The team also found that high-levels of myo-inositol were often an indicator of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease as the molecule promotes the formation of amyloid plaques – a hallmark of Alzheimer’s.

Lead researcher Professor Declan Murphy said: "We have shown in this study that adults with Down's syndrome have a significantly higher concentration of myo-inositol in the hippocampal region of their brains, and this increase is associated with a reduced cognitive ability.

"We are now carrying out more studies to see if we can reduce the concentration of myo-inositol in the brains of people with Down's.

"We hope that if we can do this, it will be a new way of treating this devastating disorder."

The Down's Syndrome Association said: "We are very pleased that scientists are producing results that help us to understand the reasons behind Down's syndrome's associated learning disability.

"However, the Institute of Psychiatry's research does not herald a 'cure' for the condition, and any treatment available is still a long way in the future."

www.bnn-online.co.uk/index.asp#2286

[andrewsmom]

Hmmm....interesting. I need to learn more about this......thanks for the link.
-Trisha

[samanthajosmom_12]

welcome back drakes dad! i am going to have to read about this. sue

[kokie]

That's why Inositol is in Nutrivene-D. It helps take care of the extra myo-inositol.

Qadoshyah

[meghans_mom]

I find it interesting that there is inositol in Nutrivene-D because myo-inositol is the nutritionally active form of inositol.
I wonder what the chemical relationship is ie: is inositol converted into myo-inositol? There are 9 isomers of inositol, and myo-inositol is one of them. Does it explain more about it in the nutrivene literature - what the inositol does to the myo-inosito, make it inactive? With many chemicals in the body the inactive form is converted to the active form...is this the same with inositol (ie- what is inositol converted to in the body)?
www.pdrhealth.com/drug_info/nmdrugprofiles/nutsupdrugs/myo_0145.shtml
just curious.

[meghans_mom]

Oh and Drake's dad...thank you for posting this! Haven't seen you around in a while!
laurie

[Kristen]

I was thinking along Laurie's train of thought, althought not as detailed It seems if that were true, there would be no problems and I don't know one person who did vitamins that have continued them long term because they were such a miracle. Yes, this includes me! I did the Dr. Warner Hap Caps but when he dies we were moving and ran out and it was a mess, so we didnt' keep up with them or the other regime (flax and that other stuff that was $60 a bottle that went rancid in a month before it was 1/4 used up) and we see no difference in Carter - he is actually healthier without.

[kokie]

I was thinking the same thing that Laurie was, about inositol and why it would be in NVD, since it seems like it'd be converted over to myo-inositol. But, this is what was replied to the post about this article on another forum I am on (this post is from Dr. Liechtman):

"Not new. Was reported in 1999. That is why there is Inositol in NuTriVene-D as it has been experimentally shown to decrease myo-inositol levels. What we don't really know yet is why it causes a problem. "

I haven't researched it out tons more, as I have been doing plenty of other researching things.

I won't say much about the vitamins and what Kristen posted, because we feel very strong about them and their benefit and I don't want to start any problem here with anyone !

Qadoshyah

[Kristen]

Kokie, you might not mean to, but by saying that, you are starging something in a way. I never spoke against vitamins, because fi they work for you, that's great. They did not do anything noticable for Carter, but I think part of it is that he does nothave a lot of the things they are supposed to help. He has always had very good attention, apporpriate energy levels and is very present. I heard that all the time - oh, he'll be more "with it" but he was never not and without he isn't either, so maybe that is just a trait he did not inherit? He is also a very well kid - colds and such, but he actually gets over them faster and with less intensity than most kids we know and hasn't had so much as an ear infection. Maybe his immuity isn't low? On a DS growth chart he is way off the top for height and in roughly the 60% for weight. I am really tall for a chick and there are so tall thin ones on both sides of the family - maybe that's it? He has never shown a cognitive delay to date of more than 5%. Why? No idea. Maybe he has not gotten to the hard part yet. I am thinking that will suffer once they rely more and more on the speech he does not have, but we shall see. They are supposed to help their facial features...he and Syd and me all have the exact same profile with the swoopy nose bridge. Syd and I have a more pronounced brow bone, but we are DEFINATELY related! He does have epanthical folds - Syd has a small on on her left eye, same as me, and Carter has one on each eye, the left one more noticibly so. Again, can't deny me when I embarass him at teh mall in 10 or 12 years! Why these things help some and not others, I honestly do not know, but the vitamins did not make a difference. Maybe because I try to give him high anti-oxidant foods and a multi-vitamin every day and together they have a similar effect? That might be. I have no clue, but I 100% endorse them if they work, but for us, they unfortunately did not. I really wish they had, but it didn't work out that way for us.

[kokie]

I totally see how you would not use them for your little one since nothing noticeably changed. We have decided to use them, even if we don't notice a change. My brother also was very much like your Carter (before we started the vits I am talking about here) - very alert and active, had 1 cold in his 8 mths of life, etc . . . (and he is still like that)

We have noticed some changes, like him gaining weight, and doing things a bit faster. And, I think the gaining weight good now has to do with his thyroid functioning better (he was hypo - and if you remember all the posts I had on here in the beginning about how the docs were concerned about his weight . . . that was the answer to the weight prob, but the docs didn't mention a THING about it!! Thankfully we know about it now!).

The majority of what I mean, when I say we feel strong about them, is based upon all the biochemical stuff behind the reasons for giving all of it. And a huge part is the anti-oxidant stuff . . . and you may be doing the same thing or what works best for you by feeding him high anti-oxidants and a multi-vit.

So, no offense to anyone and hope this makes more sense .

Qadoshyah