Theanine- Autism Supplement?

I recently got a request to discuss theanine as an autism supplement, so let’s start by briefly setting the stage with a quick description of autism.

Autism is a developmental condition that is in the press a lot, and for good reason.  It can be difficult to deal with (especially in severe cases) and is surprisingly common (6 per 1000 births have some autism spectrum disorder).  Classified as a neurological developmental disorder, it is characterized by problems with social development and communication, and children with autism often perform repetitive or compulsive tasks.

It’s widely considered to be genetic in nature, but like many genetic conditions, cues or stresses from the environment can trigger or worsen these sorts of conditions.  You’ve probably heard some of the controversial arguments about the possible link of certain vaccines and autism- we’re not going to get into that in this article.

Instead, I want to focus on the potential merits of a nutritional supplement called theanine, and what it can (or can’t) do to help those with autism.

WHAT’S THEANINE?

So glad you asked.  Theanine is an amino acid- which is essentially a little piece of a protein.  This particular amino acid is commonly found in tea (especially green tea), but you can also get it in supplement form.  As a supplement, you’ll ususally see it advertised as “L-theanine”… the “L” refers to an organic chemistry designation that has to do with how the molecule bends polarized light (NOT important to remember).

One of the interesting properties of theanine (and really, why we care about it) is that it can cross the blood-brain barrier.  Here’s what that means.  Your brain does not use the same blood supply as the rest of your body (muscles, organs, etc) uses.  In fact, blood will damage brain matter… this happens with a hemmoraghic stroke, which is a topic beyond today’s discussion.

Instead of blood, the brain and spinal cord are surrounded by a tough membrane which is filled with a filtrate of blood called cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF).  You know this already.  You’ve heard of a spinal tap, right?  That’s the test where they stick a big needle into your lower back to draw off some of this CSF and test it for abnormalities.

The reason any of this matters is, not a lot of stuff can cross that membrane and get into the CSF.  That’s kind of the point- to protect the brain and spinal cord from foreign elements.  Some things, though, can cross this barrier, and therefore have some psychoactive effect.

WHAT DOES IT DO?

So what does it do?  Studies suggest theanine works by affecting neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin.  A neurotransmitter is a chemical involved in the proper transmission or activity of nerves.  Since your brain is a giant bundle of nerves, it uses a lot of neurotransmitters.  Also, studies suggest that theanine will increase levels of a neurological inhibitor called GABA… think of it as a substance to “calm things down” on a neurological level.

The big thing, though, is that studies have shown theanine to increase the alpha wave activity in the brain.  So what’s an alpha wave?  Well, since your brain is a bunch of nerves bundled together, and since nerves transmit an electrical signal, your brain is constantly creating an electromagnetic field that we can actually measure.

You may have heard of the term EEG (electroencephalograph, blimy that’s a mouthful).  That’s a device which measures this EM field.  And, various patterns of a brain’s EM field gets different names.

Alpha waves are those patterns which are associated with “wakeful relaxation”.  Think of being awake and alert but with your eyes closed and being very calm.  That’s an alpha wave state.

BACK TO AUTISM

So, the theory goes, by encouraging the awake-calm alpha waves, supplementing with theanine can help some of the symptoms of autism.  It’s an intriguing concept.

Here’s the bad news. While studies have been conducted and have shown pretty clearly that theanine supplementation DOES increase alpha wave activity, there are NOT any studies on theanine and autism.  I checked.  So it might or might not work.  Just because something makes logical sense that it SHOULD work, doesn’t mean it will.

The good news is, theanine is extremely safe.  Studies have shown that you’re not going to hurt yourself even on high doses of the stuff.  So, it won’t hurt to try it out.  A 50 mg dose is sufficient to alter brain waves toward the alpha state, and 200 mg is often used as a therapeutic dose.

If any of you folks try theanine as an autism supplement, let me know what your results are.

Stay healthy!