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We will be testing a specific dietary supplement, methylcobalamin (vitamin B12). Follow-up assessments with our clinical team will take place over the 12-week study period so that we can record any changes in development. The main goal of this study is to determine if subcutaneous injections of vitamin B12 given every three days can positively affect behavior and development in children with autism.
Hypothesis: Methylcobalamin injections will improve measures of executive function, speech, and socialization in children with autism, and will be associated with metabolic improvement.
Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder that is thought to involve an interaction between multiple and variable susceptibility genes (Keller & Persico, 2003), epigenetic effects (Beaudet, 2002), and environmental factors (London, 2000). The increase in the prevalence of autistic spectrum disorders from 4-5/10,000 in the 1980s to 30-60/10,000 in the last decade has raised great concern (Bertrand et al., 2001; DeStefano et al., 2004; Steinhausen et al., 1986; Yeargin-Allsopp et al., 2003). Research into potential therapeutic interventions designed to ameliorate the metabolic and clinical symptoms of autism is urgently needed to reduce the enormous public health burden of this disorder and to improve the quality of life for affected children and their families. Nutritional supplementation through subcutaneous injections of methyl B12 is a current treatment for children with autism that has anecdotal reports of remarkable clinical improvements and few side effects. However there are no published studies to support its clinical benefit.
Comparison: Injections of methylcobalamin compared to injections of sterile saline over a six week period.
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Active Comparator | Methyl-B12 |
|
| B | Placebo Comparator | Saline placebo |
|
| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| methylcobalamin | Drug | Methylcobalamin (25,000μg/ml), at a dosage of 64.5μg/kg, or saline placebo administered subcutaneously, once every three days for six weeks. At six weeks, subjects cross over to the other treatment given every three days for another six weeks. Post 12 weeks, treatment with open label methylcobalamin will continue once every three days, for six months. |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Primary measure is the Clinical Global Impression Scale -Improvement supplemented by videos taken at all visits and rated blindly to measure executive function, speech, and language, and socio-economic development. | 12 Weeks to 6 Months |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Secondary measures:NEPSY, ABC, PPVT, SB:V, PDRF, MCDI, PIA-CV, and CARS. | 12 Weeks to 6 Months |
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Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
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| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Robert L Hendren, D.O. | University of California, Davis | Principal Investigator |
| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC Davis MIND Institute | Sacramento | California | 95817 | United States |
| PubMed Identifier | Type | Citation | Retractions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12394355 | Background | Beaudet AL. Is medical genetics neglecting epigenetics? Genet Med. 2002 Sep-Oct;4(5):399-402. doi: 10.1097/00125817-200209000-00013. No abstract available. | |
| 11694696 | Background | Bertrand J, Mars A, Boyle C, Bove F, Yeargin-Allsopp M, Decoufle P. Prevalence of autism in a United States population: the Brick Township, New Jersey, investigation. Pediatrics. 2001 Nov;108(5):1155-61. doi: 10.1542/peds.108.5.1155. |
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D001321 | Autistic Disorder |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D000067877 | Autism Spectrum Disorder |
| D002659 | Child Development Disorders, Pervasive |
| D065886 | Neurodevelopmental Disorders |
| D001523 | Mental Disorders |
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| C019476 | mecobalamin |
| D014805 | Vitamin B 12 |
| D012965 | Sodium Chloride |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D045728 | Corrinoids |
| D045725 | Tetrapyrroles |
| D011758 | Pyrroles |
| D001393 | Azoles |
| D006573 |
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|
|
| saline placebo | Other | Methylcobalamin (25,000μg/ml), at a dosage of 64.5μg/kg, or saline placebo administered subcutaneously, once every three days for six weeks. At six weeks, subjects cross over to the other treatment given every three days for another six weeks. Post 12 weeks, treatment with open label methylcobalamin will continue once every three days, for six months. |
|
|
| 14754936 | Background | DeStefano F, Bhasin TK, Thompson WW, Yeargin-Allsopp M, Boyle C. Age at first measles-mumps-rubella vaccination in children with autism and school-matched control subjects: a population-based study in metropolitan atlanta. Pediatrics. 2004 Feb;113(2):259-66. doi: 10.1542/peds.113.2.259. |
| 15628608 | Background | Esch BE, Carr JE. Secretin as a treatment for autism: a review of the evidence. J Autism Dev Disord. 2004 Oct;34(5):543-56. doi: 10.1007/s10803-004-2549-6. |
| 11011839 | Background | Finkelstein JD. Pathways and regulation of homocysteine metabolism in mammals. Semin Thromb Hemost. 2000;26(3):219-25. doi: 10.1055/s-2000-8466. |
| 10362526 | Background | Gulati S, Brody LC, Banerjee R. Posttranscriptional regulation of mammalian methionine synthase by B12. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1999 Jun 7;259(2):436-42. doi: 10.1006/bbrc.1999.0696. |
| 14514983 | Background | Keller F, Persico AM. The neurobiological context of autism. Mol Neurobiol. 2003 Aug;28(1):1-22. doi: 10.1385/MN:28:1:1. |
| 14671475 | Background | Levy SE, Mandell DS, Merhar S, Ittenbach RF, Pinto-Martin JA. Use of complementary and alternative medicine among children recently diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder. J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2003 Dec;24(6):418-23. doi: 10.1097/00004703-200312000-00003. |
| 10852835 | Background | London EA. The environment as an etiologic factor in autism: a new direction for research. Environ Health Perspect. 2000 Jun;108 Suppl 3(Suppl 3):401-4. doi: 10.1289/ehp.00108s3401. |
| 12611557 | Background | Miller AL. The methionine-homocysteine cycle and its effects on cognitive diseases. Altern Med Rev. 2003 Feb;8(1):7-19. |
| 14572619 | Background | Muntjewerff JW, van der Put N, Eskes T, Ellenbroek B, Steegers E, Blom H, Zitman F. Homocysteine metabolism and B-vitamins in schizophrenic patients: low plasma folate as a possible independent risk factor for schizophrenia. Psychiatry Res. 2003 Nov 1;121(1):1-9. doi: 10.1016/s0165-1781(03)00200-2. |
| 11391481 | Background | Pogribna M, Melnyk S, Pogribny I, Chango A, Yi P, James SJ. Homocysteine metabolism in children with Down syndrome: in vitro modulation. Am J Hum Genet. 2001 Jul;69(1):88-95. doi: 10.1086/321262. Epub 2001 Jun 5. |
| 10931172 | Background | Schulz JB, Lindenau J, Seyfried J, Dichgans J. Glutathione, oxidative stress and neurodegeneration. Eur J Biochem. 2000 Aug;267(16):4904-11. doi: 10.1046/j.1432-1327.2000.01595.x. |
| 12691871 | Background | Sogut S, Zoroglu SS, Ozyurt H, Yilmaz HR, Ozugurlu F, Sivasli E, Yetkin O, Yanik M, Tutkun H, Savas HA, Tarakcioglu M, Akyol O. Changes in nitric oxide levels and antioxidant enzyme activities may have a role in the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in autism. Clin Chim Acta. 2003 May;331(1-2):111-7. doi: 10.1016/s0009-8981(03)00119-0. |
| 3486202 | Background | Steinhausen HC, Gobel D, Breinlinger M, Wohlleben B. A community survey of infantile autism. J Am Acad Child Psychiatry. 1986 Mar;25(2):186-9. doi: 10.1016/s0002-7138(09)60225-9. No abstract available. |
| 15590241 | Background | Sturmey P. Secretin is an ineffective treatment for pervasive developmental disabilities: a review of 15 double-blind randomized controlled trials. Res Dev Disabil. 2005 Jan-Feb;26(1):87-97. doi: 10.1016/j.ridd.2004.09.002. |
| 12503976 | Background | Yeargin-Allsopp M, Rice C, Karapurkar T, Doernberg N, Boyle C, Murphy C. Prevalence of autism in a US metropolitan area. JAMA. 2003 Jan 1;289(1):49-55. doi: 10.1001/jama.289.1.49. |
| 12445495 | Background | Yorbik O, Sayal A, Akay C, Akbiyik DI, Sohmen T. Investigation of antioxidant enzymes in children with autistic disorder. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2002 Nov;67(5):341-3. doi: 10.1054/plef.2002.0439. |
| Heterocyclic Compounds, 1-Ring |
| D006571 | Heterocyclic Compounds |
| D006576 | Heterocyclic Compounds, 4 or More Rings |
| D000072471 | Heterocyclic Compounds, Fused-Ring |
| D047028 | Macrocyclic Compounds |
| D011083 | Polycyclic Compounds |
| D002712 | Chlorides |
| D006851 | Hydrochloric Acid |
| D017606 | Chlorine Compounds |
| D007287 | Inorganic Chemicals |
| D017670 | Sodium Compounds |