Treating Autism with Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells
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Autism, also known as ASD or autism spectrum disorder, is a developmental disorder that is caused by differences within the brain. In some cases, people have genetic conditions that result in autism. The cause of ASD in all other people is not yet known. People who live with this condition often experience problems with socializing as well as sensory issues.
Autism is able to be diagnosed in children as early as 14 months. It is important to understand that no two cases of autism are identical. The symptoms and signs that a person experiences can vary greatly from person to person. Although autism has the ability to affect people of all socioeconomic and ethnic groups, minority groups generally receive incorrect or late diagnoses more often than others.
Boys are more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls. This is due to the fact that research shows many females do not present with this disorder in the same way as boys, which can result in the condition going undiagnosed.
How Many People Have Autism?
Statistics show that approximately 5.4 million adults in the United States, or 2.2% of the population, are on the autism spectrum. Between 2002 and 2020, the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder increased between 6% and 15% every year.
Across the globe, approximately 1% of the world population has been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. This equates to approximately 75 million people. Statistics from 2022 show that one out of every 100 children have been diagnosed with ASD. In the United States, one out of every 44 children has been identified as having autism spectrum disorder.
Around 78% of children who have been diagnosed with ASD have also been diagnosed with at least one co-occurring mental health condition.
What are the Symptoms of Autism?
There are a variety of symptoms that people with autism exhibit. The majority of the signs of autism involve both interaction and social communication. However, restrictive or repetitive behaviors or interests are also notable.
Some common examples of social characteristics that people with autism spectrum disorder may display include:
- Avoiding eye contact with others
- Not responding to their name by the age of 9 months
- Not showing facial expressions by the age of 9 months (sadness, anger, happiness, etc.)
- Does not play pat-a-cake or other interactive games by the age of 12 months
- Uses very few to no gestures to communicate by the age of 12 months
- Does not share interests with other children or adults by 15 months
- Does not point to show other people objects by 18 months
- By 24 months, they do not notice when other people around them are upset or hurt
- At 36 months, they do not join other children to play or notice them
- They do not dance, act, or sing for anything by the age of 60 months
There are also a variety of repetitive behaviors or interests that they may engage in. These include:
- They focus on only parts of objects
- They get upset at even the smallest change
- They line toys and objects up and get angry when they are out of order
- They play with all toys the same way every time
- They are obsessive
- They rock body, flap their hands, or spin in circles
- They tend to follow certain routines
- They interact with various things depending on the look, feel, taste, sound, or smell
Other signs a person with ASD may show include the following:
- Lack of fear or having more fear than would be expected
- They feel stress, anxiety, or worry excessively
- They experience unusual emotional reactions
- They have problems with gastrointestinal functions
- They may have seizures or epilepsy disorder
- They may be impulsive, hyperactive, or inattentive
- They may have learning skills or delayed cognitive skills
- They may have a delay of language skills
- They may have a delay of movement skills
Not all people who have ASD will exhibit all of these symptoms. It is also important to note that the severity of symptoms that a patient does experience will not all be the same from person to person.
What Treatment Options are Available for Autism?
There’s currently no standardized treatment for autism. However, there are several options for minimizing the symptoms that people who have ASD experience. There are also methods for maximizing their abilities to perform various tasks. In most cases, patients have to undergo various forms of therapies and interventions in order to help learn new behaviors and help reinforce positive habits.
Research demonstrates that early diagnosis and early intervention for someone with ASD can help to provide positive effects when it comes to improving symptoms and developing skills later in life. Due to the fact that people who have autism spectrum disorder and other disorders sometimes have overlapping symptoms, it is important to focus on treatment that meets each person's specific needs rather than the diagnosis itself. One of the most common treatments that people with autism go through is behavioral management therapy.
Behavioral management therapy is generally determined by the type of ABA or applied behavioral analysis. Some common types of behavioral management include:
- discrete trial teaching (DTT)
- pivotal response training (PRT)
- positive behavioral and support (PBS)
- early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI)
In addition, various other forms of therapy are utilized as well. These include:
- Educational and school-based therapies
- Occupational therapy
- Parent-mediated therapy
- Physical therapy
- Social skills training
- Medication treatment
- Nutritional therapy
- Cognitive behavior therapy
- Joint attention therapy
- Speech-language therapy
Many of these therapies are effective in reducing some of the symptoms that people who suffer from autism experience, especially if started from a young age. However, there is no cure for this disorder and treatment is often long-term. Often, these treatment options are only somewhat effective, and must be consistently repeated in order to not lose progress.
More recently, we have seen many scientists turn to the use of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells to alleviate some of the symptoms that people who have autism spectrum disorder experience. These studies have all been favorable so far and could soon be regarded as a breakthrough treatment for those with autism spectrum disorder.
What are Umbilical Cord Tissue Mesenchymal Stem Cells?
Umbilical cord tissue mesenchymal stem cells, also referred to as UCT-MSCs, are a unique type of human stem cell that is typically isolated from the umbilical cord. The most potent tissue for this type of stem cell is the Wharton’s jelly, which is a gelatinous substance located in the umbilical cord.
Unlike other types of stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells can actually differentiate into various types of cells. These can include chondrocytes, osteocytes, myocytes, and adipocytes.
Umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells have the ability to calm inflammation and help regenerate various types of cells within the human body. Due to these unique qualities, UCT-MSCs have proven to be effective when it comes to treating various autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
In recent years, we have seen studies surrounding the use of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells to treat autism. These studies have indicated positive results, paving the way for a potentially profound new type of treatment to help patients who suffer from this debilitating condition.
Studies on the Use of UCT-MSCs for Treating Autism
Over the years, there have been several studies surrounding the use of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells to treat patients who suffer from autism. The studies that have been performed have generally shown that this form of treatment is safe and effective for helping patients of all ages. Patients who undergo studies have been proven to show positive results over time with no adverse reactions.
A study published in 2020 found that five child participants developed new class I anti-human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibodies, which are associated with a specific lot of UCT-MSCs or with a partial HLA match between recipient and owner. A total of six subjects also demonstrated improvements in a minimum of two autism spectrum disorder-specific measures. Results also indicated that many subjects showed at least three points of improvement in their social communication skills and a five-point decrease in their severity of autism symptoms scores. These findings provide important new insight into the impactfulness of using UCT-MSCs to treat symptoms of autism spectrum disorder.
Overall, studies have found that the use of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells can be effective in helping patients who suffer from autism by decreasing the severity of their symptoms. The use of these stem cells has been shown to improve social communication skills and to help alleviate some of the other symptoms of the disorder.
Without a doubt, studies on the use of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells have shown positive results as a potential treatment for autism. While further research is needed to understand how it works and to optimize its effectiveness, the results so far have been promising. The use of these cells may provide a new way of treating autism that could improve the lives of those affected by this condition.
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