The latest research on HBOT and autism shows that hyperbaric oxygen therapy could significantly improve an autistic person’s social abilities.
The study, published in the peer-reviewed International Journal of Molecular Sciences, is the second study on autism to come out of Israel this month. A previous report published by researchers at Ben-Gurion University offers a new understanding of how autistic people might experience empathy.
Both provide new hope for people who are diagnosed with the disorder.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a treatment in which patients enter a special chamber where the atmospheric pressure is higher than the pressure at sea level. They are then delivered 100% oxygen to breathe.
The researchers treated large animal models with autism and identified neurological changes from the treatment, including a reduction in inflammation and an improvement in functionality.
“We discovered that treatment in the oxygen-enriched pressure chamber reduces inflammation in the brain and leads to an increase in the expression of substances responsible for improving blood and oxygen supply to the brain, and therefore brain function,” explained Dr. Boaz Barak of Tel Aviv University’s Sagol School of Neuroscience and School of Psychological Sciences, who led the study. “In addition, we saw a decrease in the number of microglial cells, immune system cells that indicate inflammation, which is associated with autism.”
Specifically, the trial was carried out in two phases. In the first phase, a girl carrying the mutation in the SHANK3 gene, which is known to lead to autism, was treated with hyperbaric medicine at Shamir Medical Center by Prof. Shai Efrati, also a Tel Aviv University faculty member. When the girl completed her treatments, the professor found that she had improved social abilities and brain function.
Next, Barak’s lab decided to see if they could prove a causal relationship.
They used adult animal models carrying the same genetic mutation in the SHANK3 gene as that of the girl who had been treated. The animals each received 40 one-hour hyperbaric treatments in the pressure chamber over several weeks.
Hyperbaric medicine is commonly used in Israel for other indications and is considered safe.
Read more at ALL ISRAEL about how hyperbaric oxygen therapy can help improve social abilities and brain function in those struggling with autism.