Comments on: Minnesota Somali Autism: Geography and Light

By: cindy

cindy — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:06:29 +0000

wondering what the effects of the longer days in the north might bring? if less light might mean autism, then more = what? ADD?

By: Tentative Conclusion to the Estrogen Discussion : Neoteny, sexual selection, cause of autism, human evolution, social transformation, left organizing and internet activism - how they all connect

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 19:53:29 +0000

[...] same light-influencing, pineal gland-impacting testosterone levels in the uterine environment. (See Minnesota Somali Autism: Geography and Light for an explanation of how radical changes in light compel the extremes of both male and female [...]

By: Ruminations : Neoteny, sexual selection, cause of autism, human evolution, social transformation, left organizing and internet activism - how they all connect

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:24:41 +0000

[...] to the possible origins of autism. Consider the emergence of autism among Somali Minnesotans. (Click here to note the autism-inducing implications of equatorial populations migrating to extreme Northern [...]

By: Estrogen Play : Neoteny, sexual selection, cause of autism, human evolution, social transformation, left organizing and internet activism - how they all connect

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:21:23 +0000

[...] an earlier piece (Minnesota Somali Autism: Geography and Light), I hypothesized that because diurnal light cycles affect the pineal gland (see Geschwind and [...]

By: Peter Andrews

Peter Andrews — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 01:54:08 +0000

This website section on autism and vitamin D was very intriguing: http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/health/autism/

By: Andrew

Andrew — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:55:15 +0000

Hi Stan,

There is less light in the North in winter, more light in the summer. Whereas in equatorial regions the rhythm is consistent, in the North it is wildly wobbly.

Light is not the only variable to strongly influence the testosterone (and estrogen) levels in migrating populations. Diet is very powerful, tobacco, alcohol, stress, exercise….

I’ve not researched ultrasound effects and have no information to respond with.

By: Stan

Stan — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 21:55:37 +0000

Thanks for the link to your work in your posting to the Somali article on Age of Autism, Andrew. I’m finding your thinking on this subject very interesting. I have some questions and thoughts on the subject, but for now, I would just like to get clarified in my mind as to your explanation for the link of light to the Somalis in Minnesota. I assumed you were saying that increased light would increase the pineal gland effect would elevate testosterone levels would result in (more) autism. But there is less light in the northern clime than in Somalia. So – ??

Also, would you care to comment on the possible effect of prenatal ultrasounds on women, in this regard (a more and more common cultural phenomenon). Their heating effect has not been given sufficient attention; in any event, could that heating effect have something of the same effect as light, in the increasing of testosterone levels, and subsequent increased autism?