hafeezanwar
Junior Member
New hope for genetic disorder
Scientists have claimed that a genetic disorder that causes ADHD, depression, anxiety, and cognitive problems in children can well be eased with an amino acid supplement.
A team has been studying the disorder Phenylketonuria (PKU) and said that while all babies were now tested for it, and the disease could be controlled, there were still some risks of cognitive functions being impaired.
Lead researcher Rachael Sharman said: "With PKU, the body is unable to process a certain amino acid found in protein, phenylalanine (phe), so patients must eat a very low-protein diet to prevent brain damage.
"They also have to take a lot of phe-free protein formula to ensure they are getting the other essential amino acids in protein, as their diet contains few "typical" foods.
"What we have found is that they also have low levels of tyrosine, another amino acid, which can increase the risk of low dopamine in the brain, and may be associated with ADHD and possibly, anxiety and depression.
"We want to see whether low levels of tyrosine combined with high levels of phe, are responsible for these persistent problems. Our hope is that, eventually, children born with PKU have no more risk of developing cognitive problems than children born without it."
--Agencies
Scientists have claimed that a genetic disorder that causes ADHD, depression, anxiety, and cognitive problems in children can well be eased with an amino acid supplement.
A team has been studying the disorder Phenylketonuria (PKU) and said that while all babies were now tested for it, and the disease could be controlled, there were still some risks of cognitive functions being impaired.
Lead researcher Rachael Sharman said: "With PKU, the body is unable to process a certain amino acid found in protein, phenylalanine (phe), so patients must eat a very low-protein diet to prevent brain damage.
"They also have to take a lot of phe-free protein formula to ensure they are getting the other essential amino acids in protein, as their diet contains few "typical" foods.
"What we have found is that they also have low levels of tyrosine, another amino acid, which can increase the risk of low dopamine in the brain, and may be associated with ADHD and possibly, anxiety and depression.
"We want to see whether low levels of tyrosine combined with high levels of phe, are responsible for these persistent problems. Our hope is that, eventually, children born with PKU have no more risk of developing cognitive problems than children born without it."
--Agencies