Autistic Trait Linked to Maternal Antibodies
Autism is a complex disease which includes children who experience developmental regression, and others who seem to have an early onset form of the disorder. Repetitive behavior, like hand flapping and rocking, is one of the common characteristics seen in autism. Now, new research out of the M.I.N.D. Institute indicates that an interaction between maternal antibodies and the developing fetal brain could be responsible for these behaviors, otherwise known as stereotypies, in children with the regressive form of autism.
The current study was inspired by UC Davis immunologist Judy Van de Water’s discovery that certain antibodies found in the blood of mothers of children with the regressive form of autism reacted with fetal brain tissue. Following this lead, researchers exposed pregnant monkeys to human maternal IgG at the end of their first trimester. Results showed that the offspring of monkeys exposed to IgG from mothers of autistic children had problems with social interaction, and displayed a higher and more frequent rate of certain repetitive behaviors.
If theses maternal antibodies are truly the underlying cause of certain types of autism, these discoveries shed light on possible preventive therapies. Doctors have been using a medication called RhoGAM to prevent maternal antibodies in Rh-negative mothers from attacking their Rh-positive baby’s red blood cells safely for 39 years. Perhaps over time, this new research will lead to the development of of a similar treatment for mothers who carry antibodies against fetal brain protein.
Reference: L Martin, P Ashwood, D Braunschweig, M Cabanlit, J Van de Water and D Amaral. Stereotypies and hyperactivity in rhesus monkeys exposed to IgG from mothers of children with autism. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. DOI:10.1016/j.bbi.2007.12.007.
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