Antibodies against fetal brain in sera of mothers with autistic children

Singer, Harvey S.; Morris, Cynthia Taft; Gause, Colin D.; Gillin, Pam K.; Crawford, Stephen O.; Zimmerman, Andrew W.

doi:10.1016/j.jneuroim.2007.11.004

Cited by 139 publications

(100 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…These antibodies were positive to adult and fetal human and rat brain proteins, including targets at 73 kDa and 36 kDa, similar to those shown by Braunschweig et al (2008). These authors used specific brain samples rather than a medley, identifying numerous other targets specific to certain brain regions (Singer et al, 2008). In a large study using the Simons Simplex collection, Brimberg et al (2013) examined plasma from 2431 mothers of ASD children and compared it with plasma from 654 GP women, finding that mothers of children with ASD were four times as likely to have circulating anti-brain antibodies.…”

Section: Transplacental Maternal Autoantibodies To the Fetal Brainsupporting

confidence: 57%

“…More importantly, the authors found that 12% of samples from mothers of children with ASD showed both 37 and 73 kDa bands, while none of the mothers of TD or DD children did. Another study published that year looked at serum from 100 mothers of children with autism, again finding higher rates of anti-fetal brain antibodies as compared with 100 control mothers (Singer et al, 2008). These antibodies were positive to adult and fetal human and rat brain proteins, including targets at 73 kDa and 36 kDa, similar to those shown by Braunschweig et al (2008).…”

Section: Transplacental Maternal Autoantibodies To the Fetal Brainmentioning

confidence: 61%

“…The evidence strongly supports distinct roles for both maternal Croen et al, 2008b;Singer et al, 2008;Zimmerman et al, 2007) and patient (Henneberg et al, 1994;Libbey and Fujinami, 2010;Ryberg, 1982) autoantibodies in ASD, including an ability to affect structural brain development (Nordahl et al, 2013;Rossi et al, 2011). Offending antibodies of either origin appear to persist systemically for extended periods of time Piras et al, 2014;Singer et al, 2006;Zimmerman et al, 2007), and although there exists a correlation between the two there does appear to be at least some differences in effect (Piras et al, 2014).…”

Section: Anti-brain Antibodiesmentioning

confidence: 71%

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The Role of the Immune System in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Meltzer

Water

2016

Neuropsychopharmacol

387

293

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Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in communication and social skills as well as repetitive and stereotypical behaviors. While much effort has focused on the identification of genes associated with autism, research emerging within the past two decades suggests that immune dysfunction is a viable risk factor contributing to the neurodevelopmental deficits observed in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Further, it is the heterogeneity within this disorder that has brought to light much of the current thinking regarding the subphenotypes within ASD and how the immune system is associated with these distinctions. This review will focus on the two main axes of immune involvement in ASD, namely dysfunction in the prenatal and postnatal periods. During gestation, prenatal insults including maternal infection and subsequent immunological activation may increase the risk of autism in the child. Similarly, the presence of maternally derived anti-brain autoantibodies found in~20% of mothers whose children are at risk for developing autism has defined an additional subphenotype of ASD. The postnatal environment, on the other hand, is characterized by related but distinct profiles of immune dysregulation, inflammation, and endogenous autoantibodies that all persist within the affected individual. Further definition of the role of immune dysregulation in ASD thus necessitates a deeper understanding of the interaction between both maternal and child immune systems, and the role they have in diagnosis and treatment.

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Section: Transplacental Maternal Autoantibodies To the Fetal Brainsupporting

confidence: 57%

Section: Transplacental Maternal Autoantibodies To the Fetal Brainmentioning

confidence: 61%

Section: Anti-brain Antibodiesmentioning

confidence: 71%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The Role of the Immune System in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Meltzer

Water

2016

Neuropsychopharmacol

387

293

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“…The maternal transfer of autoantibodies from the mother to child during pregnancy is well documented, and is associated with a number of factors that can affect both pregnancy and neonatal outcome. 11 The presence of autoantibodies directed against critical neuronal components of fetal brain extracts in a subset of mothers of ASD children provides supporting evidence that one potential mechanism linking maternal immune components with ASD involves the transfer of autoantibodies from mother to the developing fetus during pregnancy 15,16,17,20 (Table 2).…”

Section: Maternal Antibodiesmentioning

confidence: 91%

Immune Dysfunction in Autism: A Pathway to Treatment

2010

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Summary: Autism is a complex and clinically heterogeneous disorder with a spectrum of symptoms. Clinicians, schools, and service agencies worldwide have reported a dramatic increase in the number of children identified with autism. Despite expanding research, the etiology and underlying biological processes of autism remain poorly understood, and the relative contribution from genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors remains unclear. Although autism affects primarily brain function (especially affect, social functioning, and cognition), it is unknown to what extent other organs and systems are disrupted. Published findings have identified widespread changes in the immune systems of children with autism, at both systemic and cellular levels. Brain specimens from autism subjects exhibit signs of active, ongoing inflammation, as well as alterations in gene pathways associated with immune signaling and immune function. Moreover, many genetic studies have indicated a link between autism and genes that are relevant to both the nervous system and the immune system. Alterations in these pathways can affect function in both systems. Together, these reports suggest that autism may in fact be a systemic disorder with connections to abnormal immune responses. Such immune system dysfunction may represent novel targets for treatment. A better understanding of the involvement of the immune response in autism, and of how early brain development is altered, may have important therapeutic implications.

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“…[24][25][26][27][28][29][30]. interestingly, some autistic mothers have been proved to have antibodies against fetal brain proteins which cross the placenta and interfere with the development of fetal brain with subsequent development of ASD [31,32].…”

Section: What Is Behind the Occurrence Of Autism Spectrum Disorder?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD); The Past, The Present, and The Future

Zaky¹

2017

J Child Adolesc Behav

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Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is one of the most puzzling disorders for which not only no exact cause has been identified but also no definitive cure has been found yet. Over the last few decades, its prevalence showed a dramatic rise; an observation that encouraged many researchers across the globe to try to explore all its aspects from etiology to diagnosis and treatment. Although autistic caregivers as well as physicians and researchers would like to know the exact cause of ASD and find a definitive cure for it, this goal still seems to be distant. Accordingly, the realistic achievable goal in dealing with ASD is to try to direct all the available resources to help its sufferers to improve their skills and functioning and get the utmost benefits of their strengths aiming at improving their quality of life. Socioeconomic support for autistic caregivers is also essential to empower them in helping their children across their journey for a better tomorrow. Lastly, we must believe that "whenever and wherever there is help, there is hope".

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Antibodies against fetal brain in sera of mothers with autistic children

Cited by 139 publications

References 40 publications

The Role of the Immune System in Autism Spectrum Disorder

The Role of the Immune System in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Immune Dysfunction in Autism: A Pathway to Treatment

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD); The Past, The Present, and The Future

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