Serum of Mothers Having Autistic Children Induces Cerebellar Purkinje cell Alterations in Experimental Model: A Possible Cause of Autism

Abstract

Autism is a brain developmental disorder characterized by impaired social interaction. Our aim is to assess the morphology of plasma cells of mothers having autistic children and to evaluate the effect of administration of serum obtained from mothers having autistic children on the cerebellar Purkinje neurons. Two groups were used: control group, where pregnant rats remained intact while others were injected intraperitoneally with serum of mothers with no history of autism. In the experimental group pregnant rats were intraperitoneally injected serum of autistic children's mothers. The Transmission Electron Microscope showed altered plasma cells of autistic children's mothers, where the heterochromatin material had inversed distribution in all nuclei examined in addition to other alterations. Also, modified Purkinje neurons were obtained in neonates of experimental group showing degeneration and atrophied dendrites. Recommended examination of peripheral blood is essential for early intervention.

The Effects of an Educational Program Based on Modeling and Social Stories to Improve the Social Skills of Students with Autism

“…Since there's no strong evidence about specific genes that are responsible for ASD (Yang & Gill, 2007), environmental factors can potentially contribute to the causation of ASD. Kourtian and Abdelmeguid (2015) conducted an experimental study and reported that pregnant women with contagion were at high risk of having a child with ASD (Kourtian & Abdelmeguid, 2015). Also, maternal age, particularly those who exceeded 30 years of age, are at risk of having a child with ASD (Divan et al, 2015).…”