A cocktail of three nutritional supplements improves the social behavior of autistic mice

A cocktail of three nutritional supplements improves the social behavior of autistic mice

Researchers led by Tzyy-Nan Huang and Ming-Hui Lin from Academia Sinica in Taiwan report that a low-dose mixture of zinc, serine and branched-chain amino acids can alleviate behavioral deficits in three different mouse models of autism. Published on December 2nd in the open access journal inPLOS biologyThe study shows that these three supplements, when combined, promote communication between neurons in the brain and improve social behavior.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is known to result from abnormal neural development that affects the way neurons connect to each other. At the same time, it is known that diet is one of the environmental factors that influence ASD. Zinc, serine, and branched-chain amino acids are each individually believed to have positive effects on neuronal connectivity. The authors hypothesized that a mixture of the three drugs would be a more effective treatment than either treatment alone and that the required dosages of both drugs could be reduced. They tested their theory in three mouse models of ASD; They measured levels of synapse-related proteins, used calcium imaging to examine neuronal activity in the amygdala, and assessed social behavior.

The researchers found that the cocktail of supplements changed the brains of autistic mice so that the expression of proteins in the synapse was similar to that of normal mice and that the abnormal hyperactivity of neurons in the amygdala was reduced after taking the cocktail. The researchers also found that the animals' social behavior improved after they were given the cocktail. However, when each supplement was administered individually, the same dosages had no effect on behavior. This was true in two other mouse models of autism, showing that it is the synergistic effect of combining the three supplements that allows it to be effective at low doses.

Yi-Ping Hsueh summarized: "Because hundreds of genes, each with different molecular functions, are involved in autism, a 'one gene, one therapy' approach to addressing the complexity of ASD is impractical. Our results show that a low-dose nutrient mixture containing zinc, branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and serine works synergistically to improve synaptic function and social behavior in three ASD mouse models improve, a safer and more practical strategy offers long-term, widespread use, starting in childhood.”

Tzyy-Nan Huang, one of the lead authors of the study, emphasized: "High doses of single nutrient supplements such as zinc, branched chain amino acids and serine can improve synaptic function through various mechanisms, but low doses of a single nutrient alone are ineffective. It is exciting to see that the combination of these nutrients at low doses successfully restores synaptic proteomes and improves social behavior in three different mouse models of autism."

I was thrilled to observe that just seven days of treatment with the nutrient mixture significantly modulated neural circuit activity and connectivity in real time. These results provide strong evidence of the positive effects of low-dose nutrient supplement combinations.”

Ming-Hui Lin, co-first author of the study

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