Biohacking Autism with Nadia Elkhatib.

Dr. Uli K. Chettipally, MD, MPH, is an emergency physician, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, and the father of Siri, a non-speaking young woman with autism. In this episode he explains what an intensive exercise program did for Siri after she aged out of school at 22, why he believes movement acts on the brain through neuroplasticity, and how a VR-based exercise system developed for stroke rehabilitation became Cognitive Sensorimotor Therapy. We also cover non-speaking autism and spelling to communicate: how a letterboard failed for Siri at seven and worked at eighteen, why Uli believes the challenge is motor planning rather than intelligence, how Siri got to the dean's list at College of San Mateo, and the AI he is training to reduce the dependence on a trained communication partner. What you'll hear: - Autism and exercise: what changed in anxiety, focus, and weight after Siri started an intensive program - Neuroplasticity and autism: the cognitive, sensory, and motor components of the exercise system - Why a non-speaking person may be able to spell but not speak - The n=9 feasibility study: what it measured and what it did not - Presuming competence, RPM, and letterboards - AI for autism: assistive technology for non-speaking communication - Uli's vision of independence through technology Connect with the guest Sirica Center: https://www.siricacenter.com/ Dr. Uli K. Chettipally on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ulichettipally Disclosure Dr. Chettipally is the founder of Sirica Therapeutics, which develops the exercise system discussed in this episode. The system is currently used as an exercise machine and has not been evaluated by any regulatory body as a treatment for autism. The research discussed was a small feasibility study measuring tolerance, learnability, and enjoyment, not outcomes. Medical disclaimer This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Nothing in this episode is a recommendation to start, stop, or change any treatment or medication. Please work with your own qualified healthcare professionals when making decisions for yourself and your child. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

What’s driving inflammation in autism? In this Biohacking Autism Essentials edition, Dr. Richard Horowitz walks through the core ideas from his 16-point MSIDS framework and explains how multiple biological systems may contribute to chronic inflammation and symptoms in autism. This shorter, focused edition covers: • The 16-point MSIDS framework • The six “rivers of inflammation” • Neuroinflammation and microglial activation • Gut health, leaky gut, and the microbiome • Mast cell activation and histamine • Mitochondrial dysfunction and the cell danger response • Lyme disease and Bartonella • POTS, dysautonomia, and hypermobility • Autism biomarkers including NfL, GFAP, CRP, VEGF, tau, and p-tau • Why different children may have very different biological drivers Dr. Horowitz’s MSIDS framework was developed for complex chronic illness, not specifically for autism. In this conversation, he explains how he believes the framework may help families and clinicians think more broadly about overlapping contributors to inflammation and chronic symptoms. This is the shorter Essentials edition. For the complete technical discussion, listen to the Full Episode with Dr. Richard Horowitz. CONNECT WITH DR. RICHARD HOROWITZ Get Dr. Horowitz’s new book, Ending Chronic Illness: https://cangetbetter.com/ending-chronic-illness/ Website: https://cangetbetter.com/ Medical Detective Substack: https://medicaldetective.substack.com/ Horowitz Lyme-MSIDS Questionnaire: https://msidsfoundation.org/questionnaire/ For physicians with questions about complex cases: [email protected] MEDICAL DISCLAIMER This episode is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always discuss testing and treatment decisions with a qualified healthcare professional. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

Autism inflammation is often discussed as if it were one problem with one cause. In this episode, Dr. Richard Horowitz joins Nadia to walk through his 16-point MSIDS framework for complex chronic illness and discuss how he applies it to questions families and clinicians raise around autism. The conversation covers what Dr. Horowitz calls the six “rivers of inflammation”: infections, environmental toxins, microbiome disruption, intestinal permeability and mast-cell activation, nutrient deficiencies, and sleep. They also explore mitochondrial dysfunction and the cell danger response, neuroinflammation, POTS and dysautonomia, hypermobility, maternal inflammation, and biomarkers including CRP, VEGF, neurofilament light, GFAP, tau, and p-tau. Dr. Horowitz explains why he favors a multifactorial, symptom-guided approach rather than assuming one diagnosis has one underlying mechanism. The discussion includes Lyme and Bartonella, mold, gut-brain signaling, histamine and mast cells, mitochondria, and how different symptoms can point clinicians toward different systems to investigate. The MSIDS framework was developed for complex chronic illness, not specifically for autism. In this conversation, Dr. Horowitz discusses how he believes it may help autism families and clinicians ask broader questions about overlapping contributors to inflammation and chronic symptoms. Connect with Dr. Richard Horowitz: Get Dr. Horowitz’s new book, Ending Chronic Illness: https://cangetbetter.com/ending-chronic-illness/ MSIDS Foundation Dr. Richard Horowitz’s website: https://cangetbetter.com/ Medical Detective Substack: https://medicaldetective.substack.com/ Medical Detective Horowitz Lyme-MSIDS Questionnaire: https://msidsfoundation.org/questionnaire/ MSIDS Foundation For physicians with questions about complex cases: [email protected] Medical Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always discuss testing and treatment decisions with a qualified healthcare professional. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

This is the 29-minute Essentials edition of my conversation with Dr. Dayan Goodenowe. The full episode, with more on testing, maternal health and where his research is headed, is here: https://biohackautism.com/podcast/dayan-goodenowe-autism-brain-development-plasmalogens/ What does the brain need to build itself, and why does the answer matter for a child with autism and for the parent caring for them? Dr. Dayan Goodenowe, PhD, is a neuroscientist, biochemist and the founder of Prodrome Sciences. In this condensed edition he walks through the brain as a wiring project: raw wires at birth, myelin as the insulation that lets signals stay separate, and why myelination is adaptive rather than pre-programmed. From there he explains why incomplete myelination can make noise and light overwhelming, why children with autism show reduced white matter on imaging, and where neuroinflammation and mitochondrial stress fit in. The middle of the conversation is about plasmalogens: what they are, why the body has to make them in peroxisomes, why they cannot be eaten intact, and how the body spends them like a fire blanket on inflammation. Nadia and Dr. Goodenowe then follow the same biology into later life: age as the main driver of cognitive decline, what ApoE4 actually changes, cortical thickness as the brain's muscle, and why a baseline measurement matters more than a diagnosis. IN THIS EDITION The brain as a wiring diagram: axons, synapses and myelin Why myelination is adaptive, and why deep sleep is part of it Sensory overload explained through incomplete myelination We learn by receiving: what that changes for parents What plasmalogens are and why the brain needs them Why plasmalogens cannot be eaten intact Neuroinflammation, white matter and resilience in autism Autism and Alzheimer's as two ends of the same biology Age, ApoE4 and when dementia starts Cortical thickness: the brain's muscle Baseline testing without obsessing over it CONNECT WITH DR. DAYAN GOODENOWE Dr. Dayan Goodenowe is a neuroscientist and biochemist, the founder of Prodrome Sciences, founder of Dr. Goodenowe's Dietary Therapeutics, and the author of Breaking Alzheimer's. Dr. Goodenowe's education site: https://drgoodenowe.com Prodrome Sciences (for practitioners): https://prodrome.com Dr. Goodenowe has a financial interest in Prodrome Sciences and in plasmalogen products discussed during this conversation. FULL EPISODE Episode 34, the complete conversation: https://biohackautism.com/podcast/dayan-goodenowe-autism-brain-development-plasmalogens/ Episode 28 (solo, hormones and lipids), where this conversation was first previewed: https://biohackautism.com/podcast/autism-blood-work-thyroid-hormones-insulin/ MEDICAL DISCLAIMER This episode is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your health protocol or your child's protocol. Several compounds and tests discussed in this episode are investigational or are not FDA-approved for the uses discussed. The plasmalogen precursor program described is in a pre-IND stage of an FDA-regulated development pathway. Biohacking Autism does not provide individualized treatment protocols, dosing instructions, or sourcing guidance for regulated compounds. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

What does the brain need to build itself, and why does the answer matter for a child with autism and for the aging brain? In this episode of Biohacking Autism, Nadia Elkhatib talks with Dr. Dayan Goodenowe, PhD, neuroscientist, biochemist and founder of Prodrome Sciences, about autism brain development, white matter and myelination, mitochondrial dysfunction and brain inflammation in autism, and the lipid raw materials the brain needs to build itself, plasmalogens among them. Dr. Goodenowe reframes the developing brain as a wiring project. Myelin is the insulation that lets signals stay separate, and he explains why incomplete myelination can make a crowded room, a bright store or a loud classroom feel like every conversation arriving at once. He describes what he sees in the white matter of children with autism, why he views many autism-related changes as adaptation rather than attack, and where mitochondrial function and neuroinflammation fit in. From there the conversation turns to plasmalogens: what they do in the brain, why the body has to make them in peroxisomes, why you cannot simply eat them intact, and what plasmalogen precursors are. Nadia and Dr. Goodenowe then follow the same biology into the second half of life: cortical thickness as the brain's muscle, ApoE4 as a question of when rather than whether, what he measures in his testing and imaging work, and why caregiver brain health across decades belongs in the autism conversation. IN THIS EPISODE The brain as a wiring diagram: axons, synapses and myelin Why myelination is adaptive and why deep sleep is part of it Sensory overload explained through incomplete myelination White matter, the corpus callosum and imaging in autism Mitochondrial dysfunction and brain inflammation in autism Maternal metabolic health, discussed without blame What plasmalogens are and why they matter for the brain Why plasmalogens cannot be eaten intact, and what precursors are Autism and Alzheimer's as two ends of the same biology Cortical thickness, brain volume and the aging brain ApoE4 and when dementia starts, rather than whether Testing, biomarkers and what a caregiver in their fifties might measure The Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan community study CONNECT WITH DR. DAYAN GOODENOWE Dr. Dayan Goodenowe is a neuroscientist and biochemist, the founder of Prodrome Sciences, founder of Dr. Goodenowe's Dietary Therapeutics, and the author of Breaking Alzheimer's. Dr. Goodenowe's education site: https://drgoodenowe.com Prodrome Sciences (for practitioners): https://prodrome.com Dr. Goodenowe has a financial interest in Prodrome Sciences and in plasmalogen products discussed during this conversation. MEDICAL DISCLAIMER This episode is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your health protocol or your child's protocol. Several compounds and tests discussed in this episode are investigational or are not FDA-approved for the uses discussed. The plasmalogen precursor program described is in a pre-IND stage of an FDA-regulated development pathway. Biohacking Autism does not provide individualized treatment protocols, dosing instructions, or sourcing guidance for regulated compounds. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy