- Vijendra K. Singh
Vijendra K. Singh, Ph.D., is a
neuroimmunologist and research associate professor atUtah State University . Singh's research has focused on possible autoimmune mechanisms of pathogenesis ofautism and autoimmune therapy for patients affected byautism spectrum disorder s. He is considered by anti-vaccine campaigners to be a pioneer in his field and an international authority onautoimmunity andautism spectrum disorders .Research focus
Dr. Singh has over twenty years experience in
neurobiology andimmunology research, beginning at theBC Children's Hospital inVancouver, British Columbia , where he focused on neurochemistry and began delving into the immunology of the nervous system. After moving to theUnited States , Singh continued researchingcentral nervous system disorders at theUniversity of Michigan , focusing specifically onautism ,autoimmunity in autism, andAlzheimer’s disease . His research has led him firmly to the conviction that up to eighty percent of the cases of autism are caused by an abnormal immune reaction, commonly known as autoimmunity, rather than simply genetics.Singh is also one of many scientists to propound the notion that diet may impact cognitive function, and to recommend dietary interventions to mitigate psychiatric disorders. Only in recent years has the
immune system been recognized to have profound affects on all other body systems, thanks to pioneers including Singh.Singh has authored over one hundred scientific publications, and has made presentations before a congressional oversight committee and numerous conferences.
Finding the cause of autism
The causes of
autism spectrum disorders are not well understood. Singh was one of the first to conduct research based on the hypothesis one of the primary triggers of autism pathology may involve faulty immune regulation, in particular,autoimmunity . In1992 , Singh conducted a study which linked autism to heightened autoimmunity, finding autistic children have about an eight times greater incidence of antibodies tomyelin basic protein (MBP) than control children.Singh published a study, in 2002, suggesting that MMR-vaccinated children have abnormally high levels of
measles virus antibodies, indicating autism may be a neuro-immune response to the vaccine. Singh found that 55% of autistic children developed their condition after receiving the MMR vaccine and 33% after receiving the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) vaccine. Singh also found auto-antibodies in 80% of autistic children, while normal children had none. These auto-antibodies appear to attack the protective myelin sheathing of nerve fibers, resulting in brain dysfunction.Singh's work, however, was criticized by an expert panel commissioned by the UK Department of Health, which identified what it said were serious defects, and concluded that his research findings "do not support a role for MMR in the pathology of autism". [http://www.mmrthefacts.nhs.uk/news/newsitem.php?id=34]
In
2004 , Singh published a paper with a colleague investigating suspicions that the mercury preservativethimerosal in vaccines may be a cause of autism. They concluded that thimerosal "is likely not" related to autoimmune aspects of the disorder, but did not rule out the possibility. [http://content.karger.com/produktedb/produkte.asp?typ=fulltext&file=JBS2004011005607]Advocacy
Singh sits on the medical advisory board of
Fight Autism Now , an advocacy group dedicated to educating medical professionals, politicians and the public about the roles autoimmunity and toxins play in the pathogenesis ofautism spectrum disorders. Singh serves on the scientific board of TheAutism Autoimmunity Project and was instrumental the founding of the organization, which is attempting to raise money to allow Singh and others to continue autism research. [http://www.autisme.net/alerg-project.html]Singh has continued his autism advocacy efforts since leaving the autism research field, indefinitely, for lack of funding caused by fallout from the acrimonious
vaccine controversy , according to Raymond Gallup, founder of TAAP.Recognition
In
2002 Singh received an O. Spurgeon English Humanitarian Award in recognition of his contributions to human welfare. [http://www.lifespirit.org/se2002award.html]External links
* [http://www.crossroadsinstitute.org/newsletter/nlarticles/aug05/singhautism.html CrossroadsInstitute.org] - 'Autism, Autoimmunity and Immunotherapy' (commentary), Vijendra K. Singh, Ph.D., "The Autism Autoimmunity Project Newsletter", vol 1, no 2 (December, 1999)
* [http://hunter.apana.org.au/%7ecas/autism/myelin.html APANA.org.au] - 'Immune Response to Brain Myelin in Autistic Children', Vijendra K. Singh, Reed P. Warren, Dennis Odell,Utah State University (July, 1992)
* [http://lists.envirolink.org/pipermail/sareport/Week-of-Mon-20030623/000031.html EnviroLink.org] - 'New Study Shows MMR/Autism Link: Elevated levels of measles antibodies in children with autism', Vijendra K. Singh PhD, Ryan L. Jensen BS' "Schafer Autism Report" (June 23, 2003)
* [http://www.fightautismnow.com/id1.html FightAutismNow.com] -Fight Autism Now
* [http://www.iom.edu/view.asp?id=19132 IOM.edu (pdf)] - 'Autism, Vaccines, and Immune ReactionsInstitute of Medicine presentation), Vijendra K. Singh, Ph.D. (February 9, 2004)
* [http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB/produkte.asp?Aktion=ShowFulltext&ProduktNr=224178&Ausgabe=228593&ArtikelNr=65007 Karger.com] - 'Abnormal Measles-Mumps-Rubella Antibodies and CNS Autoimmunity in Children with Autism', Vijendra K. Singh, Sheren X. Lin, Elizabeth Newell, Courtney Nelson, "Journal of Biomedical Science ", vol 9, p 359-364 (2002)
* [http://www.latitudes.org/articles/singh_neuro_ts.html Latitudes.org] - 'Autoimmunity and Neurological Disorders', Vijendra K. Singh,Association for Comprehensive NeuroTherapy , "Latitudes", vol 4, no 2 (2005)
* [http://vacinfo.org/vijendra_singh.htm VacInfo.org] - 'Autism, Vaccines, and immune reactions' Vijendra K. Singh, Ph.D. (2004)
* [http://www.vran.org/vaccines/autism/aut-singh.htm VRAN.org] - 'Congressional Testimony', Vijendra K. Singh, Ph.D. (April 6, 2000)
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