The autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental condition affecting 1 in 44 children in the United States alone. It has a wide range of characteristics with different intensities and causes: one type of autism is the autism spectrum disorder related to maternal autoantibodies (MAR ASD). MAR ASD is characterized by the presence of specific maternal immune proteins known as autoantibodies that react to certain proteins present in the fetal brain.
Maternal autoantibodies (IgG) cross the placenta and enter the brain of the developing fetus. Once in place, they can cause changes in the way the child’s brain develops, leading to behaviors related to autism spectrum disorder.
Two new research from the UC Davis MIND Institute are seeking to deepen understanding of this dynamic that results in autism. Researchers involved in the studies found support for predictive protein patterns in the blood of expectant mothers and links of maternal MAR ASD autoantibodies to higher intensities of autistic traits.
The results of the Education have been published in scientific journals Molecular Psychiatry And Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics.
Maternal autoantibodies and ASD: here’s what the research says
Judy Van de Water of the MIND Institute and a team of researchers have shown that binding of autoantibodies to nine specific combinations of proteins (known as the MAR ASD pattern) confidently predicts autism in previously diagnosed children. The researchers tested maternal blood samples collected during pregnancy to see if they could validate the identified patterns – they wanted to test whether the models accurately predicted autism in babies.
“Previously, we identified nine patterns linked to maternal MAR ASD autoantibodies. In this study, we wanted to verify the accuracy of these models in predicting MAR ASD. To do this, we tested plasma from pregnant mothers, collected by the Early Markers for Autism (EMA)“, he has declared Van de Water, senior author of the study. Van de Water is a Professor of Immunology and Neurodevelopment of the UC Davis.
The study examined the plasma of 540 mothers of children with autism, 184 mothers of children with intellectual disabilities but without autism, and 420 mothers of the general population of children without known autism or intellectual disability during the research. Scientists found reactivity to at least one of the nine MAR ASD patterns in 10% of the autistic group. This is compared with 4% of the intellectual disability group for some models and 1% of the general population group. Four patterns were present only in mothers whose infants were subsequently diagnosed with autism, making those particular autoantibody patterns highly predictive.
The research also revealed that a mother with responsiveness to any of the nine MAR ASD patterns has about 8 times the chance of having a child with an autism spectrum disorder. Several models of maternal MAR ASD autoantibodies have been strongly associated with autism with intellectual disability. Others were linked to autism without intellectual disabilities. The protein pattern most strongly linked to autism was (CRMP1 + CRMP2), which increased the likelihood of a diagnosis of autism by 16 times and was not found in the groups of individuals without ASD.
Previous research found the MAR subtype of autism in 20% of a sample of autistic children from Northern California. Yet, until now, this type of autism hasn’t been studied in any state other than California.
A team of researchers, coordinated by Kathleen Angkustsiri, studied matwrni MAR ASD autoantibodies in two new clinical sites: il Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the Arkansas Children’s Hospital and Research Institute (ACHRI). their research involved 68 mothers of children with autism between the ages of 2 and 12. The mothers provided blood samples and completed behavioral questionnaires on their children.
The research also included data from the children’s clinical diagnostic evaluations. It used established diagnostic measures known as ADOS (the Autism Diagnostic Observation Program) and Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) to assess the ASD characteristics of the children.
Maternal MAR ASD autoantibodies were found in 21% of CHOP samples and 26% of ACHRI samples. Overall, 23.5% of blood samples were considered positive for MAR (+ MAR), showing autoantibodies that react to known MAR ASD protein patterns.
“Our study showed similar MAR ASD frequencies in two other states similar to those we observed in Northern California“Said Angkustsiri. Angkustsiri is Associate Professor of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics at UC Davis Children’s Hospital and UC Davis MIND Institute and lead author of the study: “This suggests that the prevalence of MAR ASD is consistent across different demographics and geographic settings“.
The research also extensively investigated the link between MAR ASD maternal autoantibodies and autism severity. The study found that infants of mothers with antibodies + MAR had higher autism severity scores than those of mothers -MAR. The research found no significant differences in their IQ, adaptive function or unusual behavior: “The positivity of MAR ASD may be linked to more severe autism behaviors“, Explained Angkustsiri:”Both the SCQ reported by the parents and the ADOS assessed by the doctors supported these results ”.
More research is needed to understand why mothers develop these antibodies and how long these antibodies can persist. Tests for MAR ASD maternal autoantibody models can be used to assess the likelihood of a child having autism before the features manifest. The researchers aim to create an accurate clinical test to provide physicians with more tools for early diagnosis of ASD: “We hope our work will help develop services tailored to the type of autism, the child’s strengths and specific challenges.“Said Van de Water.
The authors of the studies were required to specify that medical terms such as “symptom” And “severityThey are pathologizing and making efforts to move away from this historical terminology. In this document, the analysis is based on the “calibrated severity score “ generated by the use of the ADOS diagnostic test, which is why they are using them in this case.
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