Leaky gut -- no longer just a hypothesis

Researchers at University of Maryland are doing some really interesting research into the mechanisms behind "leaky gut" and its role in autoimmune disease and other disorders:

http://somvweb.som.umaryland.edu/absolutenm/templates/?a=893&z=5

This comes on the heels of Dr. Fasano's piece about Celiac disease in the August issue of Scientific American. No practical take-away as yet, but this is very cool, paradigm-shifting stuff, and it will be very interesting to see what other researchers do with this information over the next couple of years.

New ADHD med approved

The FDA has approved Intuniv for treatment of ADHD in children. An extended-release form of guanfacine, "the way it works is unclear, but the drug is thought to directly (sic) engage receptors in the brain's prefrontal cortex."

"The Autistic Surfer"

Check out this very interesting article by Jonah Lehrer about surfer Clay Marzo, who has Asperger Syndrome.

"Mad But Glad"

-- An interesting video/program about Tourette Syndrome and creativity.

"ADHD on the track"

Here is another nice article about sports and ADHD. We have been urging our son to run as a menas of managing his ADHD. Now, he is training for a half-marathon that he will run with me in the fall. He is doing the half-marathon as a fundraiser for the Tourette Syndrome Asociation. I have to admit, however, that recently exercise has had no impact at all on O's distractibility.

Asperger Syndrome and cinema

Yesterday's New York Times featured this story about three upcoming films that focus on Asperger Syndrome.

What is the long-term impact of using ADHD medications?

Thanks to Carolyn K. for the heads-up about this article from Scientific American Mind.