maternal antibodies

[Guest guest]

(unsure if I already sent this one out ....)

A new study has found that women with certain antibodies in their blood

may be at an increased risk for having children with autism. Researchers

hypothesize that these antibodies may disrupt fetal brain development in

utero by mistakenly targeting fetal brain tissue. The study, led by Judy

Van de Water, Ph.D., at the University of California at , was

published in the journal Neurotoxicology.

Normally antibodies help us fight off infection, and this beneficial

role extends into pregnancy, where a mother's antibodies pass to her

developing fetus. But in some cases, antibodies can turn against us,

targeting our own tissues instead of pathogens; these renegade

" autoantibodies " cause autoimmune diseases like lupus or multiple

sclerosis. " My background is in autoimmunity and thus I was aware of the

role of maternal autoantibodies in the pathology of certain disorders in

the children born under these conditions, " Dr. Van de Water said via

email. " We surmised that as antibodies cross the placenta, there would

be a possibility that maternal antibodies against fetal brain could play

a role in autism. "

The new study found antibodies in mothers' blood that targeted two

specific proteins in fetal brain tissue. Seven out of 61 mothers of

children with autism had antibodies to both proteins, whereas none of

the mothers of developmentally-delayed or typically-developing children

had both antibodies. Having only one of the antibodies was also

associated with autism: mothers with the antibody to the smaller protein

were over five times more likely to have a child with autism.

Interestingly, having both antibodies was more associated with the

regressive form of autism.

While the presence of these antibodies was linked to autism, it is

important to note that they were not exclusively found in mothers with

autistic children. Some mothers with typically-developing children had

one or the other of these fetal brain-binding antibodies, although to a

lesser extent than those with autistic children, and in no case did they

have both types. Likewise, many mothers of autistic children did not

have these antibodies, perhaps related to the likelihood of multiple

causes for autism.

Future research will explore the potential role of these autoantibodies

in the development of autism. " We are currently pursuing the identity of

these autoantigens, " said Dr. Van de Water, referring to the two brain

proteins targeted by the antibodies. To support immediate continuation

of this research, Dr. Van de Water has just received an Autism Speaks'

Mentor-Based Fellowship grant. (read more here

<http://www.autismspeaks.org/science/research/grants/research_we_have_funded_men\

tor_2007.php#vandewater>)

It will also be important to establish whether these antibodies are

actually present during pregnancies that result in a child who develops

autism: in this study, the antibodies were found in mothers several

years after the pregnancies of their affected children. To address this,

a prospective study is currently underway to find out whether mothers

with these antibodies during pregnancy go on to bear children who

eventually develop autism. This study is currently recruiting mothers of

children with autism who are considering having another child and who

live in northern California. If you are interested in participating,

more information can be found at http://marbles.ucdavis.edu

<http://marbles.ucdavis.edu/>.

Connections between the immune system and autism have also been reported

in two recent studies funded by Autism Speaks. Unlike the mother-focused

study described above, these studies looked at children with autism for

immune system abnormalities. Led by Ashwood, Ph.D., also at UC

, scientists found that levels of an immune signaling protein

called interleukin-23 (IL-23) was significantly different in blood

samples from autistic children when compared to typically-developing

children. This may ultimately impact brain inflammation because IL-23

promotes the survival of a type of lymphocyte that is involved in

initiating inflammatory responses. The second study, also led by Dr.

Ashwood, found that altered levels of brain-derived growth factor (BDNF)

were produced by blood cells from children with autism, both at rest and

in response to a simulated pathogen. Since BDNF promotes neuron survival

and function, this finding suggests that immune responses could modulate

neural function via the BDNF produced by these blood cells. These

studies were published in a special autism issue of the American Journal

of Biochemistry and Biotechnology.

Investigations of the immune system in autism by these scientists and

others will discover whether factors like antibodies and interleukins,

perhaps in combination with genetic susceptibility, may influence brain

development in a way that can lead to autism. These findings show how

critical it is to pursue every research avenue, even unexpected ones

like the immune system, to bring us closer to answers about autism.

[Guest guest]

Kathy

the reason I was excited over this research item was

1- my blood wasn't donated in vane!

2- JHU continues to do research about Autism (Zimmerman, Pardu, Vargas)

3- JHU is a local medical facility.

I've been corresponding with 'staff' from JHU for a few years now.

My son attends KKI as well as another kid.

They have access to these kids for 'monitoring purposes'.

The head of JHU is also leading Autism Speaks medical direction.

In this area, JHU is considered to be THE expert on Autism.

They were just ranked as the #1 Medical facility in the country.

How cool would it be if Brain Matters and Autism Speaks joined forces ....

instead of putting a BM facility in Long Island, they put one at JHU ?

This is a far shot since Amen's clinic is around the corner in Reston, VA ..

but still - it's the closest thing we have in this area.

AND they are interested in what is doing ..

otherwise their doctors would not be corresponding with me :-)

doris

- maryland

Posted by: " JOSKAT95@... " JOSKAT95@...

<mailto:JOSKAT95@...?Subject=%20Re%3A%20%5BFwd%3A%20Mother%27s%20Antibody%20\

Production%20May%20Affect%20Fetal%20Brain%5D>

joskat95 <joskat95>

Fri Feb 29, 2008 2:02 pm (PST)

Doris,

Thank you for posting this. There was a similar article a year ago from

somewhere else, I am hunting it. HOWEVER, before anyone starts beating

themselves up please read the word " may " in the article. The knowledge

about maternal

antibodies is hardly new. We have known about their existence long before

this epidemic. This may only apply to one subgroup or be part of the cause.

Kathy

[Guest guest]

There is also 2 studies done by JHU for which I gave blood.

The JHU studies were looking at 2 mediators.

I'll see if I can find my paperwork and/or the studies

doris

land

Posted by: " Hankinson " jlhank80@...

<mailto:jlhank80@...?Subject=%20Re%3A%20Preeclampsia%20increases%20risk>

jlhank80 <jlhank80>

Tue Feb 22, 2011 8:01 pm (PST)

, I saw this in Wikipedia, sounds like maternal immune dysfunction,

there is also a recent study that discusses maternal immune

activation is linked to ASD :

http://content.karger.com/produktedb/produkte.asp?doi=319828

<http://content.karger.com/produktedb/produkte.asp?doi=319828>

Here is the wiki info:

The pre-eclampsia syndrome is thought in many cases to be caused by a

shallowly implanted placenta which becomes hypoxic, leading to an immune

reaction characterized by secretion of upregulated inflammatory

mediators from the placenta, and acting on the vascular endothelium. The

shallow implantation is thought to stem from the maternal immune

system's response to the placenta. This theory emphasizes the role of

the maternal immune system, and refers to evidence suggesting a lack of

established immunological tolerance in pregnancy, resulting in an immune

response against paternal antigens from the fetus and its placenta.[9]

In some cases of pre-eclampsia it is thought that the mother lacks the

receptors for the proteins the placenta is using to downregulate the

maternal immune system's response to it.[10] This view is also

consistent with evidence showing many miscarriages to be an

immunological disorder where the mother's immune system " unleashes a

destructive attack on the tissues of the developing child. " [11]

In many cases of the pre-eclampsia syndrome, however, the maternal

response to the placenta appears to have allowed for normal

implantation. It is possible that women with higher baseline levels of

inflammation stemming from underlying conditions such as chronic

hypertension or autoimmune disease may have less tolerance for the

inflammatory burden of pregnancy.

From: and Freeman <freemanbk@...

<mailto:freemanbk%40ns.sympatico.ca>>

Subject: Preeclampsia increases risk

<mailto:%40>

Date: Tuesday, February 22, 2011, 7:13 PM

Can anyone explain to me why preeclampsia increases the risk of having a

child with issues? Thank you!