Histamine Hits the Mainstream

[lynn]

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=treating-tourettes

 

Treating Tourette's: Histamine Gene May Be Behind Some Tic Disorders

A genetic mutation causes low histamine levels to be produced

 

By Sonya Collins | June 2, 2011 | 2

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Image: Illustration by Thomas Fuchs

 

Tourette’s syndrome is most pronounced in children. The physical and vocal tics, which can alienate kids from peers, are difficult to treat. First-line drugs are limited in their efficacy, whereas more effective antipsychotics have many potential long-term side effects, including weight gain and movement disorders. Investigators may be moving closer to a new treatment option involving drugs that already exist.

 

Last year researchers identified a new gene mutation associated with the disorder. Known mutations have only explained a small number of Tourette’s cases, so the investigators, led by Matthew State, co-director of the Yale Neurogenetics Program, studied a rare family in which the father and his eight children all had Tourette’s. In these family members, the gene involved in the production of histamine in the brain was shorter than normal, generating lower levels of the compound, which is involved in inflammatory response. State believes these lower levels can cause tics, and he is looking for this and further histamine-related mutations in other people with Tourette’s.

 

Now scientists have found parallels between this family and histamine-deficient mice, which furthers the connection to Tourette’s. Most individuals with Tour­ette’s have low prepulse inhibition, meaning that they are more easily startled or distracted than the average person, says Christopher Pittenger, director of the Yale OCD Research Clinic. In May he was to pre­sent new data to the Society of Biological Psychiatry that both this family and mice missing the histamine gene had low prepulse inhibition and tics. Other experiments have shown that histamine-boosting drugs decrease ticlike behaviors in mice.

 

Histamine is known for contributing to allergic reactions and keeping us awake at night, which is why antihistamines are available over the counter. But it is also a neurotransmitter found throughout the brain, including in a region associated with Tourette’s.

 

The findings suggest an alternative to antipsychotics, which reduce tics by blocking dopamine. As dopamine levels drop, histamine levels rise. Increasing histamine directly, without blocking dopamine, may work as well and avoid many of the side effects of antipsychotics. “Other people with Tourette’s may have other changes in their histamine system, so it’s quite possible that a histamine-boosting drug may have benefits, but it’s still very early,” says Kevin McNaught, vice president for medical and scientific programs at the New York–based Tourette Syndrome Association.

 

Drugs that increase histamine are already being tested to treat other neurological conditions, as well as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, which is often found in people with Tourette’s.

[MomWithOCDSon]

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=treating-tourettes

 

Treating Tourette's: Histamine Gene May Be Behind Some Tic Disorders

A genetic mutation causes low histamine levels to be produced

 

By Sonya Collins | June 2, 2011 | 2

Share Email Print

Image: Illustration by Thomas Fuchs

 

Tourette’s syndrome is most pronounced in children. The physical and vocal tics, which can alienate kids from peers, are difficult to treat. First-line drugs are limited in their efficacy, whereas more effective antipsychotics have many potential long-term side effects, including weight gain and movement disorders. Investigators may be moving closer to a new treatment option involving drugs that already exist.

 

Last year researchers identified a new gene mutation associated with the disorder. Known mutations have only explained a small number of Tourette’s cases, so the investigators, led by Matthew State, co-director of the Yale Neurogenetics Program, studied a rare family in which the father and his eight children all had Tourette’s. In these family members, the gene involved in the production of histamine in the brain was shorter than normal, generating lower levels of the compound, which is involved in inflammatory response. State believes these lower levels can cause tics, and he is looking for this and further histamine-related mutations in other people with Tourette’s.

 

Now scientists have found parallels between this family and histamine-deficient mice, which furthers the connection to Tourette’s. Most individuals with Tour­ette’s have low prepulse inhibition, meaning that they are more easily startled or distracted than the average person, says Christopher Pittenger, director of the Yale OCD Research Clinic. In May he was to pre­sent new data to the Society of Biological Psychiatry that both this family and mice missing the histamine gene had low prepulse inhibition and tics. Other experiments have shown that histamine-boosting drugs decrease ticlike behaviors in mice.

 

Histamine is known for contributing to allergic reactions and keeping us awake at night, which is why antihistamines are available over the counter. But it is also a neurotransmitter found throughout the brain, including in a region associated with Tourette’s.

 

The findings suggest an alternative to antipsychotics, which reduce tics by blocking dopamine. As dopamine levels drop, histamine levels rise. Increasing histamine directly, without blocking dopamine, may work as well and avoid many of the side effects of antipsychotics. “Other people with Tourette’s may have other changes in their histamine system, so it’s quite possible that a histamine-boosting drug may have benefits, but it’s still very early,” says Kevin McNaught, vice president for medical and scientific programs at the New York–based Tourette Syndrome Association.

 

Drugs that increase histamine are already being tested to treat other neurological conditions, as well as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, which is often found in people with Tourette’s.

 

Cool, thanks! So . . . question.

 

IF your child has a history of seasonal and/or environmental allergies and is assisted by the ANTIhistamine characteristics of things like Benedryl and quercitin, does that mean he isn't suffering from low histamine levels but, rather, has naturally high ones?

 

And isn't histamine inflammatory? So how does that fit in with all the PANDAS anti-inflammatory protocols?

 

And if your PANDAS child doesn't present with tics, even in exacerbation, is that a sign, too, that histamine levels are not sub-normal?

[Chemar]

My son has genetic TS and has shown *increased* tics to anything that increases histamine, so I do think this research needs to be seen as being relevant only to people who have low histamine or who are not sensitive to histamine increases!

 

we actually have numerous anecdotal reports on the TS forum here of anti-histamines DECREASING tics, and tics increasing when allergic reactions present (ie when histamine goes up, so do the tics!), again contradicting what this study suggests

[sf_mom]

We are also using a histamine reducers called Ketotifen and D Hist Junior with great success. All our children are diagnosed with Lyme while one was originally diagnoses with Pandas with predominate TIC presentation. There is a lot of information how chronic infection alters histamines but typically it raises levels not lowers. Histamine levels are something you can definitely check when doing a blood draw... just add it to the list. Especially if your child has known food allergies.

 

Here is some information on how Ketotifen works taken from an earlier post.

 

Intestinal Permeability "Leaky Gut Syndrome":

By Mark Clark, RPh

 

 

Functions of Intestinal Mucous Layer (Epithelial Layer):

 

The mucous layer becomes damaged due to the below causes and exposes mast cells. This triggers release of histamine from mast celss that line the intestinal wall. Histamine triggers a cascade of events that leads to a deep inflammation in the intestinal wall. This causes the intestinal wall to become "leaky" or permeable and large molecules that normally would require further digestion are absorbed through the intestinal wall into the blood stream. This leads to your body's immune system attacking these large molecules and causing an allergic reaction to food. Depending on your genetic make-up, this can lead to asthma, rheumatiod arthritis, eczema, psorasis, possibly other immune disorders and cortisol/adrenal issues due to massive inflammation of the intestinal wall.

 

 

Causes of Damaged Intestinal Mucous Layer (Epithelial Layer):

 

1. Gluten Intolerance

2. Chronic stress - Stimulates cortisone from the adrenals which destroys the mucous layer.

3. Steroids - e.g. prednisone and cortisone.

4. alcoholism.

5. Certain antibiotics.

6. Parasites/dysbiosis of the GI tract.

7. Chronic use of nonsteroidals.

 

Summary of Events Leading to "Leaky Gut Syndrome":

 

Above causes leads to damaged intestinal mucous layer leads to increase in mast cell exposure leads to histamine release leads to inflammation of intestinal cells leads to leaky gut and adrenal stimulation leads to immune system attacking large molecules.

 

http://www.latitudes...&st=#entry93742

Edited July 14, 2011 by SF Mom

[Chemar]

I also wanted to add that my son also finds foods that are high in histamine aggravate his Crohn's Disease symptoms. Crohn's is an autoimmune inflammatory bowel disorder. It seems that histamine increases the inflammation for him. Again indicating that there may be more exceptions to what this study suggests.

[mkur]

Thanks for posting the article and thanks to all the others for posting their opinions and experiences. I think my son is histamine sensitive - benedryl helps him - something else to watch out for. This article helps to show that everyone is different and there needs to be more tests available and run before any child is put on psy meds.

[lynn]

I was not advocating for histamine increase by posting this--it was just interesting to me! However, DS's histamine is low and I had tried antihistamines on him several times with no effect at all, so this at least explains that little piece of information. Once again, as other posters noted, each of our children is different.

[peglem]

I don't think my daughter's histamine levels have ever been tested, but I think they are probably low because antihistamine's make her kind of psychotic.

[melanie]

Ok so which histimine agonists should be the determing factor.Tagament? or is there a herbal form I could try.I saw Dr J today and showed her the study She said she read the paper and wasntimpressed and told me to stop reading ..I laughed and she smiled ..Here I am asking you LOL

 

Melanie

[Chemar]

Melanie, I really would caution you not to try to increase your child's histamine levels without absolute certainty that it is needed, as you could set in motion a domino effect!

 

personally, I would take the doc's advice as if you look at that study it says

 

studied a rare family in which the father and his eight children all had Tourette's. In these family members, the gene involved in the production of histamine in the brain was shorter than normal, generating lower levels of the compound, which is involved in inflammatory response

 

One family. Rare.

 

How can they extrapolate this to TS in general ?

 

again a study that deals with a specific family trait....

 

and if just the anecdotal info on our TS board is considered.....a very rare trait indeed!