Autism-Mitochondrial Study: Participants Needed

Main Category: Autism
Also Included In: Clinical Trials / Drug Trials
Article Date: 04 Jun 2009 - 0:00 PDT

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ASD Centers, LLC has expanded the clinical study started in the Dallas, Texas area to include other locations. This study is designed to examine mitochondrial dysfunction and how L-carnitine supplementation affects behavior, cognition, muscle strength, and health/physical traits in those with a diagnosed autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Study Background

L-carnitine is a naturally occurring amino acid required in energy metabolism. Carnitine is essential for the utilization of fatty acids to produce the energy needed to sustain cell function. Carnitine deficiency is commonly found in children who have a diagnosis in the autism spectrum.
Mitochondrial dysfunction is also often found in those diagnosed with autism. And carnitine has been used to treat mitochondrial dysfunction.

Design of This Study

Participants: Thirty children 3-10 years of age (they can be older than ten if they weigh less than 100 pounds), who have a diagnosis of autism, PDD-NOS, or other ASD or pervasive developmental disorder. They cannot have had carnitine-based therapy, or methionine or lysine supplementation, or seizures.

Study: Two-thirds of the children that participate in the study will receive treatment and one-third will receive a placebo. The study period is 3 months. Blood work and muscle strength testing will be done before and after treatment. The product is citrus flavored and taken orally.

There will be no costs to the participants.

For more information or if you would like to participate, please contact the location nearest you:

- Janet Kern, Coordinating Director, at: 214-592-6600 [Genetic Consultants of Dallas: 408 N. Allen Dr., Allen, Texas 75013-2500], or

- David Geier at: 410-581-8300 [Genetic Consultants of Baltimore: 20 Crossroads Dr., Suite 211, Owings Mills, MD 21117],

- David Geier at: 301-770-5300 [Genetic Consultants of Washington, DC: 11125 Rockville Pike, Suite 302, Rockville, MD 20852],

- Melissa Troutman at: 317-324-0149 [Genetic Consultants of IN: 9595 Whitley Dr., Suite 205, Indianapolis, IN 46240],

- Christy Diemond at: 425-402-4730 [Genetic Consultants of WA: 17311 135th Ave., NE, Suite B800 RM 8, Woodinville, WA 98072], or

- Paul G. King at: 973-968-3351 [Genetic Consultants of NJ: 160 Littleton Rd., Suite 103A, Parsippany, NJ 07054].

The Autism Research Institute (ARI) and CoMeD are supporting this study.

Your generous tax-free donations to ARI1 or CoMeD2 will help to fund additional research, similar to the present study, to establish appropriate curative therapies.

1 To support the ongoing efforts of the ARI, with your tax-deductible contributions, please visit their website, http://www.autism.com

2 To support the ongoing efforts of CoMeD, Inc. with your tax-deductible contributions, please use the PayPal link on CoMeD's Internet website, http://www.Mercury-freeDrugs.org. CoMeD, Inc. is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation that is actively engaged in legal, educational and scientific efforts to stop all use of mercury in medicine, and to ban the use of all mercury-containing medicines as well as to establish proven curative or supportive therapies for those who have been harmed.

Source
ASD Centers, LLC