DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... Autism Linked to Brain Attacking Antibodies.

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A significant portion of autism cases can be identified with near-perfect accuracy before symptoms appear, possibly even before conception, according to research published Tuesday.

It found that 23 percent of children with autism have mothers with a certain combination of antibodies in their blood. Mothers who have this combination are 99 percent likely to have autistic children, according to researchers at the University of California Davis.

Two studies based on the research were published in the journal Translational Psychiatry.

Experts not involved with the work said it could represent a major advance if validated. The studies don’t deal with the great majority of other cases of the disorder, in which a variety of factors appear to be involved.

San Diego-based Pediatric Bioscience is developing a test for these antibodies, said Jan D’Alvise, chief executive of the privately held company. The test is expected to be commercially available in late 2014.

The studies found that seven proteins active in fetal brains were targeted by the maternal antibodies, said researcher Judy Van de Water, an immunologist at UC Davis School of Medicine, who took part in both studies. Van de Water is also the chief scientific adviser to Pediatric Bioscience. Some maternal antibodies normally cross through the placenta, guarding the developing fetus against infection.

The main study, led by Van de Water, examined the maternal antibodies’ effects on the seven fetal brain proteins and correlated them with an autism or autism spectrum diagnosis in 246 children. Maternal antibodies were also examined in a control group of 149 normally developing children.

The study found certain combinations of antibodies that were found in 23 percent of mothers of autism spectrum disorder children, but in less than 1 percent of a control group of mothers who did not have ASD children.

The second study, led by colleague Melissa Bauman, examined the autism-linked antibodies’ effects in young rhesus monkeys. It found significant disruptions in the social behavior of these monkeys; monkeys not exposed to the antibodies did not experience the disruptions.

Pediatric Bioscience is developing the antibody test for two uses, D’Alvise said.

“One is a simple blood test that will tell women their risk of having an autistic child before they conceive,” D’Alvise said.

Prospective mothers who test positive could avoid the risk by using a surrogate mother who tests negative, she said.

The test can also be taken by new mothers to assess autism risk in their infants, so those at risk can be treated promptly.

“It’s very hard to diagnose these kids early, and they benefit from interventional therapy, if you catch them early,” D’Alvise said.

About 1 in 88 children are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At the mild end, those with Asperger’s syndrome experience significant difficulties in social interaction. At the severe end, classic autism includes delay in language development, repetitive behavior and intense fascination with certain objects or patterns.

While more work is needed before a test can be approved, Van de Water said the study results were solid, and she is confident in their accuracy. Further down the road, a preventive therapy might be possible, Van de Water said. Such a therapy would block the antibodies in pregnant mothers, allowing normal development of their babies.

The study represents “a great advance forward to explaining a substantial subset of cases of ASD,” said Cheryl Dissanayake, director of the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre at La Trobe University, near Melbourne, Australia.

Dissanayake said by email that she had been aware of the research, and that the rhesus monkey study fortifies the conclusions in humans.

“My own interest in dysregulated growth (both physical and brain growth) in a subset of cases is also modeled in the rhesus monkeys,” Dissanayake said. “These really are significant findings, although as always, more research is needed. I couldn’t recommend this work strongly enough.”

Eric Courchesne, a UC San Diego researcher into the neurobiology of autism, was more measured in evaluating the results. He said the study covers an important area of research, identifying molecular markers in those with autism.

“The study suggests an important future study: Do mothers who already have an ASD child and these markers, have an increased risk of having another child with ASD?” Courchesne asked.

Elizabeth A. Thomas, a neuroscientist at The Scripps Research Institute, said the study results could be useful in assessing autism risk.

“These findings could have enormous potential to serve as a biomarker for disease risk in children, however, whether such a diagnostic test would have predictive value in assessing a woman’s risk of having a child with autism prior to conception is less clear,” Thomas said. “This is because the samples were obtained from mothers of children at the time of the child’s diagnosis, not before pregnancy.”

The results make sense in light of what is already known about autism, Thomas said.

“Although autism spectrum disorders are highly heterogeneous, there is substantial evidence for maternal immune dysregulation during pregnancy and increased risk for autism, as well as other neuropsychiatric disorders, in offspring,” Thomas said.

Autism is known to have a strong genetic element, she said, and it would be worth checking to see if the genetic evidence correlates with the proteins. Moreover, it would be of interest to see if these maternal antibodies are associated with increased risk for other psychiatric or developmental disorders.

The studies build on previous research by Van de Water and colleagues that found women with certain antibodies were at greater risk of having a child with autism than women without the antibodies.

The second study, led by UC Davis researcher Bauman, found a parallel in rhesus monkeys exposed to the autism-linked antibodies. These well-studied monkeys have their own complex social system, and the researchers looked for signs of disruption.

Bauman’s study included three groups, one exposed to the maternal autism-linked antibodies, a second exposed to antibodies from human mothers whose children did not have autism, and a third group that did not receive any antibodies.

Monkey offspring exposed to the autism-linked antibodies showed abnormal social behavior not displayed by the control offspring, the study said. This behavior included approaching unfamiliar monkeys, unusual for young rhesus monkeys.

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The above article is important. I have not seen it picked up elsewhere. What has not been stated is what antibodies are being associated with autism. I suspect that they are known.

Interesting read...thanks.

I would expect Big Pharma to be VERY interested in this.

Where did the antibodies come from? Are they the result of specific immunizations given those women, and is there liability for BigPharm anywhere in this?
People have said for a long time that immunizations cause autism, they just had the wrong generation as the source.

Interesting indeed.

My 14 year old niece is autistic. She can carry on the most intelligent conversations. I first noticed that when she was 6 years old. The questions she'll ask when listening to you speak on a subject sounds like she spent a lot of time in consideration, yet, it comes out in real-time with no hesitation. She gets great grades in school and has more common sense than most her age. Her siblings, both older than her, can rarely best her in a "battle of wits".

She is "different" socially than her peers. She rarely uses "excuse me" or "I'm sorry" as she doesn't seem to relate to the feelings of others in those situations. Cannot be completely alone. She must leave the bathroom door open a crack. If someone walks by and closes it, as her siblings would do on occasion just to "tease" when they were younger, she would totally freak-out. She is especially sensitive to sounds and lighting changes in a room.

She doesn't like physical contact from anyone other than her mom. One Easter gathering after spending several hours with her, upon leaving I asked if I could give her a hug. She paused thoughtfully and said, "We could shake hands". That amused me on two levels. I seem to be a favorite of hers yet a handshake was all she felt she could tolerate. Still, that's more contact than she'd normally offer anyone.

She doesn't "get" the humor of others but is funny as hell sometimes in her own comments. It would seem she has a great sense of humor judging by those comments but she seems not to get what's funny about what she just said.

I don't think she can actually tell a lie. She seems to not have that "thing" that makes us skirt the truth. If you ask her a question you'd better be prepared for her honest answer that will sometimes seem brutally honest. It doesn't occur to her to tell a "white lie" to save someone's feelings.

I love that girl and patiently await to see her in adulthood. She reminds me of one who will be extremely successful in some technical or higher education profession and I'm excited to see in what area it will be.


Because of her and another young lady I worked with who both have autism, I have a warm spot in my heart for those with the malady. It's a very interesting condition.

I wonder how long until a blood test will become commonplace before a man and a woman agree to be married.

They're calling her autistic. But then, I don't know who is determining that or what their qualifications are. Nor do I know enough about the differences between autism and asperger syndrome.

Having an interest in her maybe I should search the web to be better informed.

One of my 4 year old twin girls was diagnosed last year. Seems really mild so far but she is definitely lagging in certain areas. She has speech & occupational therapy every week.

The Asbergers diagnosis is going away. All the symptoms will just put one on the autism spectrum.

I know from dealing with this issue, that there has been a lot of speculation on environmental factors resulting in autism.

To me, I see a bunch of people that have autistic children which cannot be explained via genetic pre-disposition. I also see children, that if not for the autism would be difficult to discern from a non-autistic child.

So, from my perspective, seeing the increase in the number of autistic children has raised questions about the environmental element. The data may not explain away all of the circumstances, but does shine a light on an environmental component that many had thought existed.

The mechanism of antibodies being passed from mother to child is something that is novel, but makes sense. It could be something as the measles, or polio vaccine, or even a flu shot.

The question is, is it possible to change the concoction of antibodies that exist in a mothers blood stream that would prevent this from occurring.

To my knowledge aspergers is the technical diagnosis for what you would call high functioning autism in that case. Since autism is more of a spectrum both definitions are fine. Saying aspergers will give a quicker representation of what you mean specifically.

Neat stuff on this antibody work. Someone smarter than I... Do antibodies rule out an auto-immune response? I cant recall if autoimmunity produces them I always find medical progressions fascinating. I wonder what will be learned about the remaining 75% of cases.

Of the few people I have met with aspergers it really is on the edge of the gift/disability line. Many of them freaking wizards in their areas of expertice.

Your original response to me heightened my interest in the diagnosis and since then I have looked it up for a period during two different evenings. I'm not done yet, but so far it certainly does look like she has Asperger's.

Quote:

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Again, I hate to act like WebMD for someone I've never met,...

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But don't you ever stop doing that because you caused me to gain more information and knowledge on the subject. So it's a positive thing. Thank you!