Fever can unlock autism's grip: study

Fever can unlock autism's grip: study
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Fever can temporarily unlock autism'sgrip on children, a finding that could shed light on the rootsof the condition and perhaps provide clues for treatment,researchers reported on Monday.
It appears that fever restores nerve cell communications inregions of the autistic brain, restoring a child's ability tointeract and socialize during the fever, the study said.
"The results of this study are important because they showus that the autistic brain is plastic, or capable of alteringcurrent connections and forming new ones in response todifferent experiences or conditions," said Dr. AndrewZimmerman, a pediatric neurologist at Baltimore's KennedyKrieger Institute, who was one of the study authors.
The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, was basedon 30 children with autism aged 2 to 18 who were observedduring and after a fever of at least 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit.
More than 80 percent of those with fever showed someimprovements in behavior during it and 30 percent had dramaticimprovements, the researchers said. The change involved thingslike longer concentration spans, more talking, improved eyecontact and better overall relations with adults and otherchildren.
Zimmerman's team said the fever effect had been notedanecdotally in the past by parents and doctors.
Lee Grossman, president and chief executive officer of theAutism Society of America, said he had noticed it in his ownson, who is now 20.
But he noted in an interview that the study's authors saidexpanded research was needed on the fever effect and itsimplications. "It's good that they've noticed this and arebringing it forward," he said.
People with autism spectrum disorders suffer in varyingdegrees from limited social interactions, lack of verbal andnon-verbal communication and other abilities.
As many as 1.5 million Americans have some form of autism,according to ASA. It is not known what causes the condition.
Zimmerman said that while there currently is no definitivemedical treatment, speech and language therapy started as soonas possible after diagnosis "can make a significantdifference."
He called the fever research, headed by colleague LauraCurran, "an exciting lead" that could help point the way to atreatment that would reconnect the autistic brain. He said thefever effect was believed found only in children, whose brainsare more "plastic" than those of adults.
(Editing by Andrew Stern and Eric Beech)