Food and Nutrition Sciences

Volume 4, Issue 9 (September 2013)

ISSN Print: 2157-944X   ISSN Online: 2157-9458

Google-based Impact Factor: 0.92  Citations  h5-index & Ranking

Fatty Acids and Autism Spectrum Disorders: The Rett Syndrome Conundrum

HTML  XML Download Download as PDF (Size: 224KB)  PP. 71-75  
DOI: 10.4236/fns.2013.49A1012    4,286 Downloads   6,585 Views  Citations

ABSTRACT

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are epidemically explosive clinical entities, but their pathogenesis is still unclear and a definitive cure does not yet exist. Rett syndrome (RTT) is a rare genetically determined cause of autism linked to mutations in the X-linked MeCP2 gene or, more rarely, in CDKL5 or FOXG1. A wide phenotypical heterogeneity is a known feature of the disease. Although several studies have focused on the molecular genetics and possible protein changes at different levels, to date very little attention has been paid to fatty acids in this disease, which could be considered as a natural paradigm for the ASDs. To this regard, a quite enigmatic feature of the disease is the evidence in the affected patients of an extensive peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (arachidonic acid, AA, docosaexahenoic acid, DHA, adrenic acid, AdA and, to a lesser extent, eicosapentaenoic acid, EPA), in contrast with amelioration of the redox changes and phenotypical severity following the supplementation of some of those same fatty acids (DHA + EPA). Therefore, fatty acids may represent a kind of Janus Bifrons in the particular context of RTT. Here, we propose a rational explanation for this apparent “fatty acid paradox” in RTT. A better understanding of this paradox could also be of help to get a better insight into the complex mechanism of action for polyunsaturated fatty acids in health and disease.

Share and Cite:

C. Felice, C. Signorini, S. Leoncini, A. Pecorelli, T. Durand, J. Galano, V. Bultel-Poncé, A. Guy, C. Oger, G. Zollo, G. Valacchi, L. Ciccoli and J. Hayek, "Fatty Acids and Autism Spectrum Disorders: The Rett Syndrome Conundrum," Food and Nutrition Sciences, Vol. 4 No. 9A, 2013, pp. 71-75. doi: 10.4236/fns.2013.49A1012.

Cited by

[1] Whole-exome sequencing identifies three candidate homozygous variants in a consanguineous iranian family with autism spectrum disorder and skeletal problems
2020
[2] RA Fabio, G. Martino, T. Capri, R. Giacchero, S. Giannatiempo, A. Antonietti, F. La Briola, G. Banderali, MP Canevini and A. Vignoli
2018
[3] Red blood cells in Rett syndrome: oxidative stress, morphological changes and altered membrane organization
Biological chemistry, 2015
[4] Research Article Subclinical Inflammatory Status in Rett Syndrome
2014
[5] Effects of 𝜔-3 PUFAs supplementation on myocardial function and oxidative stress markers in typical rett syndrome
2014
[6] Effects of-3 PUFAs supplementation on myocardial function and oxidative stress markers in typical rett syndrome
2014
[7] Subclinical inflammatory status in Rett syndrome
Mediators of inflammation, 2014
[8] Effects of ω-3 PUFAs Supplementation on Myocardial Function and Oxidative Stress Markers in Typical Rett Syndrome
Mediators of inflammation, 2014
[9] Oxidative brain damage in Mecp2-mutant murine models of Rett syndrome
Neurobiology of disease, 2014
[10] Altered erythrocyte membrane fatty acid profile in typical Rett syndrome: Effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation
Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids (PLEFA), 2014

Copyright © 2024 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc.

Creative Commons License

This work and the related PDF file are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.