James B. Adams (professor)

James Brewster Adams
Residence Phoenix, Arizona
Alma mater University of Wisconsin-Madison
Known for Autism-related research
Spouse(s) Marie Adams
Children Three
Scientific career
Fields Engineering, child psychiatry
Institutions Arizona State University
Thesis Nucleation and growth of thin films (1987)

James B. Adams is a President's Professor at Arizona State University, where he directs the autism/Asperger's research program, though he originally taught chemical and materials engineering there. Adams also holds a post at the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine. He is also the president of the Autism Society of Greater Phoenix, the co-chair of the Autism Research Institute's scientific advisory committee, and has received the Autism Service Award from the Greater Phoenix chapter of the Autism Society of America. He has been featured on Dateline NBC,[1] and received a National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator Award from President George Bush.

Education

Adams has a bachelor's degree from Duke University in physics (1984), as well an MS (1986) and a PhD (1987) in materials engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.[2]

Career

Adams was formerly an assistant, and later associate, professor of engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 1989 to 1996, whereupon he became an associate professor at ASU. He became a full professor in 1998.[3]

Research

Engineering

Adams' team at ASU works in the field of computational and materials science, studying semiconductor processing and the ideal coatings for tools used for aluminum processing using computer simulations, as well as silicon thin-film cells.[4]

Autism

Adams has hypothesized that heavy metals, particularly cadmium and mercury,[5][6] may play a role in the pathogenesis of autism, and has advocated treatment with chelation therapy[7][8] and pioglitazone,[9] though evidence supporting both the association and the treatment is anecdotal at best.[10] Adams further contends that elevated testosterone levels are linked to the depletion of glutathione, which in turn results in increased susceptibility to toxic metals, citing a study published by Simon Baron-Cohen, which contains "major logical and factual flaws" according to some autism experts.[11] Adams is on the scientific advisory board of the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology, a group that publicizes the purported dangers of dental amalgam[12] despite abundant scientific evidence to the contrary.[13][14]

Controversial opinions

In a 2006 NBC News interview, Adams noted that acrodynia, a condition that afflicted children roughly a hundred years ago, was found to be caused by mercury-containing teething powders, and that "symptoms of acrodynia were pretty similar to symptoms of autism".[15] However, multiple sources, including a paper published in the medical journal Pediatrics, have noted major differences between the symptoms of mercury poisoning and those of autism.[16]

In 2016, Adams came under fire for posting an advertisement for the widely criticized anti-vaccine film Vaxxed on one of ASU's official Facebook pages. Adams subsequently edited the post to include a disclaimer that the movie "represents only one side of the MMR-vaccine controversy", and admitted that he had not actually seen it. He later deleted the post altogether at ASU's request, but continued to promote the film in his capacity as president of the Autism Society of Greater Phoenix. While declining to describe himself as “anti-vaccine", Adams told a reporter that he does believe vaccines, in “rare cases”, may cause autism—despite a 20-year accumulation of scientific evidence to the contrary.[17]

Personal life

Adams and his wife, Marie, have three children. He became interested in autism when his daughter, Kim, was diagnosed with the disorder in 1994;[18] he has stated he suspects this occurred because of her vaccinations and stopped vaccinating her after her autism diagnosis.[19]

Selected publications

Engineering

  • Yang, S. H.; Drabold, D. A.; Adams, J. B.; Ordejón, P.; Glassford, K. (1997). "Density functional studies of small platinum clusters". Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter. 9 (5): L39. doi:10.1088/0953-8984/9/5/002.
  • Siegel, D.; Hector, L.; Adams, J. (2002). "Adhesion, atomic structure, and bonding at the Al(111)/α-Al2O3(0001) interface: A first principles study". Physical Review B. 65 (8). doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.65.085415.

Autism

  • Adams, J. B.; Romdalvik, J.; Ramanujam, V. M. S.; Legator, M. S. (2007). "Mercury, Lead, and Zinc in Baby Teeth of Children with Autism Versus Controls". Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A. 70 (12): 1046–1051. doi:10.1080/15287390601172080. PMID 17497416.
  • Geier, D. A.; Kern, J. K.; Garver, C. R.; Adams, J. B.; Audhya, T.; Nataf, R.; Geier, M. R. (2009). "Biomarkers of environmental toxicity and susceptibility in autism". Journal of the Neurological Sciences. 280 (1–2): 101–108. doi:10.1016/j.jns.2008.08.021. PMID 18817931.
  • Adams, J. B.; Johansen, L. J.; Powell, L. D.; Quig, D.; Rubin, R. A. (2011). "Gastrointestinal flora and gastrointestinal status in children with autism -- comparisons to typical children and correlation with autism severity". BMC Gastroenterology. 11: 22. doi:10.1186/1471-230X-11-22. PMC 3072352. PMID 21410934.
  • Kang, D. W.; Park, J. G.; Ilhan, Z. E.; Wallstrom, G.; Labaer, J.; Adams, J. B.; Krajmalnik-Brown, R. (2013). Gilbert, Jack Anthony, ed. "Reduced Incidence of Prevotella and Other Fermenters in Intestinal Microflora of Autistic Children". PLoS ONE. 8 (7): e68322. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0068322. PMC 3700858. PMID 23844187.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.neurologicalhealth.org/board-of-directors.html
  2. ↑ "James Adams". ASU. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  3. ↑ "James B. Adams CV". Puterakembara.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2005. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  4. ↑ "Research--CMS Group". Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  5. ↑ "Higher Levels of Several Toxic Metals Found in Children With Autism". ScienceDaily. 25 February 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  6. ↑ Adams, J. B.; Audhya, T.; McDonough-Means, S.; Rubin, R. A.; Quig, D.; Geis, E.; Gehn, E.; Loresto, M.; Mitchell, J.; Atwood, S.; Barnhouse, S.; Lee, W. (2012). "Toxicological Status of Children with Autism vs. Neurotypical Children and the Association with Autism Severity". Biological Trace Element Research. 151 (2): 171–180. doi:10.1007/s12011-012-9551-1. PMID 23192845.
  7. ↑ Adams, J. B.; Baral, M.; Geis, E.; Mitchell, J.; Ingram, J.; Hensley, A.; Zappia, I.; Newmark, S.; Gehn, E.; Rubin, R. A.; Mitchell, K.; Bradstreet, J.; El-Dahr, J. (2009). "Safety and efficacy of oral DMSA therapy for children with autism spectrum disorders: Part A - Medical results". BMC Clinical Pharmacology. 9: 16. doi:10.1186/1472-6904-9-16. PMC 2774660. PMID 19852789.
  8. ↑ Adams, J. B.; Baral, M.; Geis, E.; Mitchell, J.; Ingram, J.; Hensley, A.; Zappia, I.; Newmark, S.; Gehn, E.; Rubin, R. A.; Mitchell, K.; Bradstreet, J.; El-Dahr, J. (2009). "Safety and efficacy of oral DMSA therapy for children with autism spectrum disorders: Part B - Behavioral results". BMC Clinical Pharmacology. 9: 17. doi:10.1186/1472-6904-9-17. PMC 2770991. PMID 19852790.
  9. ↑ Boris, M.; Kaiser, C. C.; Goldblatt, A.; Elice, M. W.; Edelson, S. M.; Adams, J. B.; Feinstein, D. L. (2007). "Effect of pioglitazone treatment on behavioral symptoms in autistic children". Journal of Neuroinflammation. 4: 3. doi:10.1186/1742-2094-4-3. PMC 1781426. PMID 17207275.
  10. ↑ The Heavy Metal Screen Test: Another Test to Avoid. Quackwatch.com, retrieved May 30, 2017.
  11. ↑ Harrell, Eben (15 January 2009). "A Link Between Autism and Testosterone?". Time. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  12. ↑ IAOMT web site
  13. ↑ A Critique of the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology's Anti-Amalgam Video. Quackwatch.com, retrieved May 26, 2017.
  14. ↑ Mercury Exposure from Dental Amalgam Fillings: Absorbed Dose and the Potential for Adverse Health Effects. CritRevOralBiolMed 8(4):410-436 (1997), retrieved May 30, 2017.
  15. ↑ Larson, John (4 June 2006). "The Unorthodox Practice of Chelation". NBC News. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
  16. ↑ Nelson, K. B.; Bauman, M. L. (2003). "Thimerosal and Autism?". Pediatrics. 111 (3): 674–679. doi:10.1542/peds.111.3.674. PMID 12612255.
  17. ↑ Stuart, Elizabeth (25 April 2016). "ASU Autism Professor Promotes Anti-Vaccine Film Despite Doctors' Protests". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  18. ↑ http://autism.asu.edu/Background/Background.html
  19. ↑ "Decision to vaccinate can be major dilemma for nervous parents". Arizona Daily Star. 24 June 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
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