In 1965, two Russian investigators, M.G. Blumena and T.L. Belakova, published a report showing considerable improvement in the speech of 12 of a group of 15 mentally handicapped children who had not been able to use speech to communicate.

The children had been treated with a substance variously known as calcium pangamate, or pangamic acid, or “Vitamin B15”. In addition to enriched vocabulary the children began to use simple sentences, their general mental state improved, and there was better concentration and interest in toys and games. Subsequent research has shown that the essential factor in calcium pangamate to be DMG.

It appears that DMG’s primary role in metabolism is to act as a key intermediary in the biological pathway that supplies the body with methyl groups; it is a methyl donator.

Neurotransmitters in the central nervous system such as norepinephrine and dopamine require a methyl group to become active. Dopamine is then modified by adding a hydroxyl (OH) to make epinephrine. Epinephrine (adrenaline) is your fight-or-flight hormone that increases blood flow and oxygen availability – so vital for the central nervous system and brain function.

Pathways that control aspects of human behavior depend on this methylation for activation. Dopamine, epinephrine and norepinephrine affect the limbic system that controls human behavior. Because of the importance of trans-methylation and the availability of methyl groups to these pathways, the role of DMG as a methyl donor may be an explanation as to why DMG can modify behavior of those along the autistic spectrum.

Many parents have reported that within a few days of starting DMG with their autistic child, the child’s behavior improved noticeably, better eye contact was seen, frustration tolerance increased, the child’s speech improved, or more interest in speaking was observed.

An article in the New England Journal of Medicine (October 1982) reported that a 22-year-old mentally retarded man, who had 16 to 18 seizures per week on standard anticonvulsants, experienced only three seizures per week while on DMG. Two attempts to remove the DMG dramatically increased seizure frequency.

Dr. Bernard Rimland, Ph.D., president and founder of the Autistic Research Institute, confirms receiving hundreds of communications from hopeful parents who have seen remarkable changes in their autistic children after using DMG. Dr. Rimland compiled Treatment Effectiveness Surveys filled out by parents about the effects of different drugs, nutrients, dietary modifications, and therapies on their autistic children.

The results of the survey of 21,500 parents were published in the Autism Research Review International newsletter in April 2002. It reviewed the use of key nutrients and found significant results with regard to DMG. Consequently, Dr. Rimland has recommended that parents give DMG to their autistic children and has recommended it for anybody of any age along the autistic spectrum.

The best DMG product is one that is phenol free and combines N, N-Dimethylglycine (DMG) with bentaine, folic acid, vitamins B6 and B12, zinc and magnesium. These nutrients work synergistically to balance behavior patterns and socialization skills, support stress coping mechanisms and immune system function. Liquid form is the most absorbable.