Method for treating autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders

1. A method for treating autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders, comprising the step(s) of:

administering to a patient in need thereof an effective amount of an isothiocyanate functional surfactant, wherein the isothiocyanate functional surfactant comprises at least one isothiocyanate functional group associated with an aliphatic and/or aromatic carbon atom of the isothiocyanate functional surfactant.

2. The method for treating autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of administering a NMDA-receptor antagonist to the patient.

3. The method for treating autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders according to claim 2 , wherein the NMDA-receptor antagonist comprises 1-amino-3,5-dimethyladamantane or a pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof.

4. The method for treating autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders according to claim 2 , further comprising the step of administering a TNF-α inhibiting agent to the patient.

5. The method for treating autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders according to claim 4 , wherein the TNF-α inhibiting agent is selected from at least one of Lenalinomide, Thalidomide, L-Camosine, Infliximab, Etanercept, a stem cell preparation, isomers thereof, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof.

6. The method for treating autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of administering a TNF-α inhibiting agent to the patient.

7. The method for treating autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders according to claim 6 , wherein the TNF-α inhibiting agent is selected from at least one of Lenalinomide, Thalidomide, L-Camosine, Infliximab, Etanercept, a stem cell preparation, isomers thereof, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof.

8. A method for treating autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders, comprising the step(s) of:

administering to a patient in need thereof an effective amount of a lysine derivative, wherein the lysine derivative comprises an α-nitrogen and a ε-nitrogen, and wherein an alkyl and/or alkanoyl substituent comprising at least approximately 8 carbon atoms is associated with the α-nitrogen, and further wherein at least one isothiocyanate functional group is associated with the ε-nitrogen.

9. The method for treating autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders according to claim 8 , further comprising the step of administering a NMDA-receptor antagonist to the patient.

10. The method for treating autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders according to claim 8 , further comprising the step of administering a TNF-α inhibiting agent to the patient.

11. A method for treating autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders, comprising the step(s) of:

administering to a patient in need thereof an effective amount of a surfactant or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein the protonated form of the surfactant is represented by the following chemical structure:

wherein R 1 comprises an alkyl, cycloalkyl, polycycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, aryl, alkaryl, aralkyl, alkoxy, alkanoyl, aroyl, alkenyl, alkynyl and/or cyano group containing approximately 1 to approximately 25 carbon atom(s), wherein the carbon atom(s) may be a linking group to, or part of, a halogen, a N, O, and/or S containing moiety, and/or one or more functional groups comprising alcohols, esters, ammonium salts, phosphonium salts, and combinations thereof; a linkage to a dimer; a linkage to an oligomer; and/or a linkage to a polymer; wherein R 2 comprises NCS; and wherein R 3 -R 5 are the same or different and comprise H; OH; an alkyl, cycloalkyl, polycycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, aryl, alkaryl, aralkyl, alkoxy, alkanoyl, aroyl, alkenyl, alkynyl and/or cyano group containing approximately 1 to approximately 25 carbon atom(s), wherein the carbon atom(s) may be a linking group to, or part of, a halogen, a N, O, and/or S containing moiety, and/or one or more functional groups comprising alcohols, esters, ammonium salts, phosphonium salts, and combinations thereof; a linkage to a dimer; a linkage to an oligomer; and/or a linkage to a polymer with the proviso that at least one of R 3 -R 5 comprise an alkyl, cycloalkyl, polycycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, aryl, alkaryl, aralkyl, alkoxy, alkanoyl, aroyl, alkenyl, alkynyl and/or cyano group containing approximately 8 to approximately 25 carbon atom(s).

12. The method for treating autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders, according to claim 11 , wherein the protonated form of the surfactant is represented by the following chemical structure:

wherein X comprises an integer ranging from approximately 1 to approximately 25, and wherein Y comprises an integer ranging from approximately 6 to approximately 25.

13. The method for treating autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders, according to claim 11 , wherein the protonated form of the surfactant is represented by the following chemical structure:

14. The method for treating autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders according to claim 13 , further comprising the step of administering a NMDA-receptor antagonist to the patient.

15. The method for treating autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders according to claim 14 , wherein the NMDA-receptor antagonist comprises 1-amino-3,5-dimethyladamantane or a pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof.

16. The method for treating autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders according to claim 11 , further comprising the step of administering a TNF-α inhibiting agent to the patient.

17. The method for treating autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders according to claim 16 , wherein the TNF-α inhibiting agent is selected from at least one of Lenalinomide, Thalidomide, L-Camosine, Infliximab, Etanercept, a stem cell preparation, isomers thereof, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof.

18. The method for treating autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders, according to claim 11 , wherein the deprotonated form of the surfactant is represented by the following chemical structure:

wherein R 1 comprises an alkyl, cycloalkyl, polycycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, aryl, alkaryl, aralkyl, alkoxy, alkanoyl, aroyl, alkenyl, alkynyl and/or cyano group containing approximately 1 to approximately 25 carbon atom(s), wherein the carbon atom(s) may be a linking group to, or part of, a halogen, a N, O, and/or S containing moiety, and/or one or more functional groups comprising alcohols, esters, ammonium salts, phosphonium salts, and combinations thereof; a linkage to a dimer; a linkage to an oligomer; and/or a linkage to a polymer; wherein R 2 comprises NCS; wherein R 3 -R 5 are the same or different and comprise H; OH; an alkyl, cycloalkyl, polycycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, aryl, alkaryl, aralkyl, alkoxy, alkanoyl, aroyl, alkenyl, alkynyl and/or cyano group containing approximately 1 to approximately 25 carbon atom(s), wherein the carbon atom(s) may be a linking group to, or part of, a halogen, a N, O, and/or S containing moiety, and/or one or more functional groups comprising alcohols, esters, ammonium salts, phosphonium salts, and combinations thereof; a linkage to a dimer; a linkage to an oligomer; and/or a linkage to a polymer with the proviso that at least one of R 3 -R 5 comprise an alkyl, cycloalkyl, polycycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, aryl, alkaryl, aralkyl, alkoxy, alkanoyl, aroyl, alkenyl, alkynyl and/or cyano group containing approximately 8 to approximately 25 carbon atom(s), wherein X comprises a counter cation such as, but not limited to, alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, transition metals, s-block metals, d-block metals, p-block metals, NZ 4 + , wherein Z comprises, H, R 6 , and/or OR 6 , and wherein R 6 comprises an alkyl, cycloalkyl, polycycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, aryl, alkaryl, aralkyl, alkoxy, alkanoyl, aroyl, alkenyl, alkynyl and/or cyano group containing approximately 1 to approximately 25 carbon atom(s), wherein the carbon atom(s) may be a linking group to, or part of, a halogen, a N, O, and/or S containing moiety, and/or one or more functional groups comprising alcohols, esters, ammonium salts, phosphonium salts, and combinations thereof; a linkage to a dimer; a linkage to an oligomer; and/or a linkage to a polymer.

19. The method for treating autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders, according to claim 11 , further comprising the step of administering an additional surfactant, wherein the additional surfactant is selected from at least one of the group comprising a non-ionic surfactant, an anionic surfactant, a cationic surfactant, a zwitterionic surfactant, and combinations thereof.

20. The method for treating autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders, according to claim 11 , wherein R 1 is selected from the group consisting of an alkyl, aryl, alkoxy, alkanoyl, aroyl, alkenyl, and cyano group containing 1 to approximately 25 carbon atom(s); wherein R2 is NCS; and wherein R3-R5 are each independently selected from the group consisting of H, OH, and an alkyl, aryl, alkoxy, alkanoyl, aroyl, alkenyl, and cyano group containing 1 to approximately 25 carbon atom(s) with the proviso that at least one of R3-R5 is selected from the group consisting of an alkyl, aryl, alkoxy, alkanoyl, aroyl, alkenyl, and cyano group containing approximately 8 to approximately 25 carbon atom(s).

21. The method for treating autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders, according to claim 18 , wherein R 1 is selected from the group consisting of an alkyl, aryl, alkoxy, alkanoyl, aroyl, alkenyl, and cyano group containing 1 to approximately 25 carbon atom(s); wherein R2 is NCS; and wherein R3-R5 are each independently selected from the group consisting of H, OH, and an alkyl, aryl, alkoxy, alkanoyl, aroyl, alkenyl, and cyano group containing 1 to approximately 25 carbon atom(s) with the proviso that at least one of R3-R5 is selected from the group consisting of an alkyl, aryl, alkoxy, alkanoyl, aroyl, alkenyl, and cyano group containing approximately 8 to approximately 25 carbon atom(s), and wherein X is a counter cation.