One Step Closer to the Cause of Autism

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center are one step closer to understanding the cause of Autism. Approximately 1 in every 150 children is diagnosed with Autism in the United States. Autism is a disorder that presents itself through various behavioral and communicational difficulties in children. As of yet, there is no pinpointed root cause for Autism. Studies such as this current one by Johns Hopkins Children’s Center are working to change that.
The lead research investigator, Harvey Singer, M.D., director of pediatric neurology at Hopkins, believes that there may be a relationship between factors present in a mother’s immune system and Autism. It is by no means the only developing cause of Autism. It also does not mean that a mother who has antibodies present toward the development of a fetal brain will have an Autistic child.
The premise of the study conducted a random testing of 100 mothers with children of Autism and 100 mothers of children with no Autism. Researchers found the presence of a reactive link between brain proteins and anti bodies in at least 40% of samples obtained from those mothers with Autistic children. The maternal antibodies also presented a link towards developmental regression and immature behaviors. These are two conditions that shadow the presence of Autism.
Antibodies are the body’s defense mechanism against viruses and bacteria. At times, these antibodies are unable to tell the difference between a virus and its own body tissue. Given that Autism is not an autoimmune disease; researchers are interested in whether a mother’s antibodies could affect fetal brain development.
Conclusions of the study found a baseline correlation between the development of Autism and the presence of the mother’s antibodies. Further research is needed to say for certain that these antibodies are able to enter into the placenta during pregnancy.

Source: Johns Hopkins Institutions

Filed under: Autism, Children's Health, Medical Research, Vaccinations