"Neuroglial Activation and Neuroinflammation in the Brain of Patients with Autism"

[CeleRate]

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-11/jws-bif111004.php

[StrictNon-Confo]

We are all sick in the head???

I find it curious at the small sample size they mention of autistic brains, not to mention that there's absolutely no mention of the population size of the "normal" brains to compare against. How can you see a statistical correlation from such a small sample that's been given on the known-autistic sample, and the non-existent information (in regards to the number of "normal" brains) and draw any reasonable conclusion from it?

I can see it now, with a new name for autism: brain arthritis! ;)

[mlwear]

I saw a local news report on this last night. It was the first I heard of it. I agree that the sample was far too small, Strict. I believe the story stated that 8 brains were studied. 8? Not much of a sampling. Of course, it was our local news, so it could be wrong. It did state that it is unknown if this is a cause for autism or an effect of autism. The doctor did mention the POSSIBILITY of anit-inflammatory drugs being a treatment in the future. Honestly, I have to admit, in that brief moment, I thought, should I try giving my son Motrin for a while and see what happens. Of course, then I realized, surely it has to be more complex than that. (Plus, dh nearly died of a bleeding ulcer, not caused by Ibuprofen, but since then we don't use it at our house). I wonder how many parents DID try or are trying OTC anti-inflammatory drugs. It is kind of scary to think about. Some parents really want a cure. Many wouldn't think that an OTC drug could be harmful and may have started their own experiment.