Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Autism

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We do Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy on my brother because he has autism and it does show results. But I mean this is a huge gas tank looking thing that compresses air to deeper than 60 ft. From the Oxygen Therapy you're talking about isn't this though. I'm guessing they're trying to sell some sort of oxygen concentrater that increases the amount of oxygen in the air you breath.

According to the OP, "Is it only useful for children, or for adults as well? From what research and hyperbaric protocols tell us it is most useful for children before the age of puberty. Preferably between the ages of 2-9 yrs."

So this approach may not apply to everyone on the spectrum.

To the OP, what mechanism causes the change? What is the theory?

I wonder if it has a tie-in with oxytocin therapy?

The endocrine system is one of two systems that control and coordinate many functions to keep our bodies working in balance, called homeostasis. While our nervous system uses electrical impulses, the endocrine system uses chemicals called hormones. Hormones usually work more slowly than nerves, but can have longer lasting effects. Oxytocin is produced in the hypothalamus and is secreted into the bloodstream by the posterior pituitary gland. Secretion depends on electrical activity of neurons in the hypothalamus – it is released into the blood when these cells are excited. The two main actions of oxytocin in the body are contraction of the womb (uterus) during childbirth and lactation. More recently, oxytocin has been suggested to be an important player in social behavior. In the brain, oxytocin acts as a chemical messenger and has been shown to be important in human behaviors including sexual arousal, recognition, trust, anxiety and mother–infant bonding. Low oxytocin levels have been linked to autism and autistic spectrum disorders (e.g. Asperger syndrome) – a key element of these disorders being poor social functioning.

When an individual faces a threat, they activate a fight/flight response, which releases a cascade of stress hormones, such as the adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and catecholamine hormones, such as adrenaline (epinephrine) or noradrenaline (norepinephrine). Stress is a part of life and is not inherently bad. For most stressors the biological cost is negligible because the stressors are short-lived. An individual needs time to replenish its biological resources before being exposed to other stressors; otherwise the person may transition into a distressed state. Over time, repeated stress can lead to the chronic activation and dysregulation of the body's stress response systems and the eventual depletion of autonomic nervous system (ANS) reserves. Because the body still perceives itself still under threat, it diverts the body’s energy to fuel the ACTH system and as a result production of oxytocin is neglected and the oxytocin in the blood supply becomes depleted. Their bodies remain in a hyperarousal state, always looking out for and sensing danger. Oxytocin suppresses the “classic” stress hormones of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis. So essentially oxytocin can trigger an individual to shutting off their abnormal hyperarousal state and return their bodies back to homeostasis.

So to put this in more technical terms (from research on rats):
the long-term effects caused by oxytocin, particularly following repeated administration, are always consistent with a lowered sympathoadrenal tone and activity in the HPA axis as well as with an elevated vagal nerve tone, enhanced digestive and anabolic activity, and behavioral calm, suggesting that one important effect of oxytocin is to integrate an anti-stress pattern that actually runs counter to the effects caused by corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and vasopressin (two other regulatory peptides produced in the PVN). This effect pattern forms an antithesis to the previously identified fight/flight response.

I just now realized that this thread is 8 years old, and that the OP has not posted since 2011-09-26.

DebbieHurts since this is your first post, welcome to Wrong Planet!

Hyperbaric oxygen is one of many quack procedures peddled at desperate parents to relieve them of their money and the original post reads to my eyes like a plug for it, and I applaud the patience of the original replies probing for peer review and other evidence rather than tear a well deserved strip of the original poster

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy may not be a sham but rather poor targeting of those that could benefit. So I will keep an open mind at the present.

In reviewing oxytocin therapy, there is a growing body of research that support the effectiveness of this approach on Aspie and AS.

As I wrote earlier "For most stressors the biological cost is negligible because the stressors are short-lived. An individual needs time to replenish its biological resources before being exposed to other stressors; otherwise the person may transition into a distressed state. Over time, repeated stress can lead to the chronic activation and dysregulation of the body's stress response systems and the eventual depletion of autonomic nervous system (ANS) reserves. Because the body still perceives itself still under threat, it diverts the body’s energy to fuel the ACTH system and as a result production of oxytocin is neglected and the oxytocin in the blood supply becomes depleted. Their bodies remain in a hyperarousal state, always looking out for and sensing danger. Oxytocin suppresses the “classic” stress hormones of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis. So essentially oxytocin can trigger an individual to shutting off their abnormal hyperarousal state and return their bodies back to homeostasis."

So the individuals that can receive the most benefit from this type of theraphy are those whose body remain in a hyperarousal state. Their bodies are out of homeostasis and need a reset button to bring them back to their natural state. These are individuals who received an overload of stress and trauma. Generally I would place them in three main categories. (1) Aspie males who have not yet reached the age of puberty, (2) Aspies that experience panic disorder, (3) individuals that suffer from PTSD.

So using a little bit of fuzzy logic, if a similar mechanism is at play between oxytocin therapy and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy [HBOT] then these same three groups might also benefit. So instead of searching for research on the effectiveness of HBOT on Aspie and AS individuals, I did a search on PTSD patients and came up with the following:

HBOT Linked to Significant Reduction in PTSD Symptoms

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) demonstrated a significant drop in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and suicidal ideation in a new study of military personnel, according to a study published in Medical Gas Research.

Researchers enrolled 29 active-duty or retired military personnel (aged 18–65 years) with ≥1 mild-to-moderate blast traumatic brain injury (TBI) that was at minimum 1 year old. All participants had persistent post-concussion syndrome (PPCS) with or without PTSD and they were matched to a control group.

The HBOT group was compressed and decompressed in a monoplace hyperbaric chamber at 1–2 pounds per square inch per minute on 100% oxygen for 60 minutes total dive time, twice a day with a 3–4 hour surface interval 5 days a week for 40 HBOTs.

Following completion of all treatments, half (52%) of the subjects who initially met the PTSD Checklist-Military (PCL-M) for diagnosis no longer met the threshold criteria; the average reduction was 18.8 points in PCL-M. The authors write how this reduction is one of the greatest in PTSD symptoms in a 4-week period with ‘any reported treatment’.

Before and after HBOT, the researchers evaluated symptoms list, physical exam, neuropsychological and psychological tests, and SPECT brain imaging. At 6 months, results showed that compared to the controls, the treatment group had a significantly improved SPECT after 1 and 40 treatments. Seventy-five percent of the initially abnormal areas in the treated group became indistinguishable from controls.

Significant improvements in neurological exam, symptoms, IQ, memory, attention, dominant hand motor speed/dexterity, quality of life, general anxiety, PTSD, and depression were seen. Also, there was a significant reduction in the use of psychoactive medications. Additional symptomatic improvement was seen at the 6-month follow-up.

Moreover, 10 of 12 subjects who expressed suicidal ideation prior to the HBOT did not express suicidal thoughts after treatment (McNemar’s Test; P=0.012). “Combined with the effect on PPCS outcomes, HBOT represents the only reported effective treatment for the combined diagnoses of blast-induced PPCS and PTSD,” said Dr. Paul Harch, lead author and Director of Hyperbaric Medicine at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine. “The PTSD symptom reduction is one of the greatest reductions in PTSD symptoms in a four-week period with any reported treatment, and combined with the effect on PPCS outcomes, HBOT represents the only reported effective treatment for the combined diagnoses of blast-induced PPCS and PTSD.”