There is a theory within Autism, it is also a theory within the Alzheimer’s community and other neurological disorders as well, that states that many kids on the spectrum have a hyper excitability in the brain triggered by something called glutamate. Glutamate is an amino acid, it is found prevalent in our diet and it is also fairly significant concentration in the brain. Glutamate is one of the most abundant amino acids in the brain.

The feeling is that with certain individuals there is receptor sensitivity to glutamate. What happens is on the surface of the brain you have receptors and receptors take in information from other chemicals. It is sort of like a lock and key mechanism. What glutamate does is trigger a specific receptor called the NMDA receptor. When that triggering or lock and key function happens, it unlocks electrical activity in the brain cells and that causes electrical transmission of chemical impulses. That is a necessary thing to happen for normal brain function.

However, when you are getting too much of this electrical activity happening from glutamate, it can cause damage prematurely to cells and in some cases even premature cellular death. In Alzheimer’s they know that too much glutamate activation of the NMDA receptor can be a predisposing factor to neurological damage and dementia. So there are a variety of things that are being used now to help alter that glutamate sensitivity.

There is a medication called Nameda. Namenda is an NMDA receptor blocker that is used in Alzheimer’s and it has been used in Autism as well with glutamate sensitivity. It has been very helpful for hyper excitability, stimming behavior, sometimes aggressive behavior.

There are two natural substances which can also be used, which have been helpful for glutamate sensitivity as well. One, which I talked about in a previous recording, is Lithium, or elemental lithium, natural lithium, not the drug lithium, that is found in many supplements has a blocking effect or a regulating effect on NMDA receptor activity in response to glutamate. Another supplement is called Theanine. Theanine is an extract of green tea and Theanine is also helpful in regulating the NMDA receptor, decreasing its sensitivity to glutamate so you are basically decreasing that over stimulation of the brain cell. Again, that theory has to do with glutamate and NMDA receptor activity in the brain leading to hyper excitability. Lithium and Theanine are two natural substances which have been found to be helpful.