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There are dozens of good reasons why scientists need to study the brains of people with autism. One is to understand what happens in the brain as people with autism get older and see how the brain changes over time. Another is to identify mechanisms of autism to help all neuroscientists figure out how the brain works. A third is improve medicine by determining what helps what people at what age. Scientists @UCDavis, @Penn and @UCLA examined the individual brain cells of people with autism to address these three questions, revealing that the autistic brain shows some similarities to brains of people with Alzheimer’s Disease. In addition, inflammation seen in the brain may be caused by too much activity of cells talking to each other. Studying the brains of people with autism is essential to better understanding and is made possible by families who are committed to research. www.autismbrainnet.org.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36862688/
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Outcome measures for clinical trials and understanding and determining gene x environment interactions have been two (of many) challenging questions for scientists. In the first study, we explain a new study that looks at the feasibility of three potential biomarkers that have the potential to look at presence of a diagnosis as well as effectiveness of an intervention. In the second half, we describe some new research that shows novel approaches to better understand the presence of an environmental factor with genetic influences, or a new method to describe them in different communities. You can read the studies by clicking below:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36000217/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35974006/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35992618/
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Several studies have linked the immune system to autism, but how are they connected? Two new studies this week illustrate differences in immune function in those with a diagnosis compared to those without, and also find differences in the blood of of pregnant mothers who go on to have an autistic child. Women who go on to have autistic girls show higher levels and more inflammatory markers than mothers who go on to have boys, the finding of elevated IL1 is now a finding that has been replicated across countries. However, it’s too early to tell if this information can be used to help with a diagnosis and it’s probably not specific to autism. But the message is the same as it was before: getting sick during pregnancy is not great. Get vaccinated! Stay away from sick people and wash your hands.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35110990/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34987169/
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It’s been about 6 months since the COVID-19 pandemic began in the United States, longer in Asia and some parts of Europe. While scientists still don’t know the direct effects of COVID-19 in pregnant women on later development of their children, they do know about ASD following other neuroinflammatory responses. These include things like the flu, UTI’s, herpes, and other things that cause inflammation and immune disruption. This podcast reviews the evidence so far in humans and animals, with the goal of helping people understand that the threat is real, and that wearing a mask is not a mark that you do not have the freedom to do so. It is a reflection that you understand that the world is victim of a pandemic, and you want to protect others from getting sick.
https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S0149763419302088?token=6A507B42E4214202ED738386D6C119F334516249286DFE65CDE1B73A0859F430F8C0600C592A04FF500B31454175C08A
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31824351
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A series of three scientific articles explore the link between the onset of psychiatric symptoms in adolescence in people with Phelan McDermid Syndrome, or PMS. PMS is caused by a mutation in the SHANK3 gene, leading to a wide range of medical, behavioral and intellectual challenges, as well as autism spectrum disorder. Scientists used a broad literature review as well as the PMS patient registry to better describe what was going on, and a group at Duke compiled a case series of girls affected that were responsive to treatment. While so far this decompensation as a result of onset of psychiatric illness has only been documented in PMS, families across the spectrum should be aware so they can seek immediate help for their child if they see similar symptoms.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32050889
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31879555
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32015180
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This holiday weekend always triggers a reincarnation, a resurrection of the vaccine – autism hypothesis. Many of you have read about the measles epidemics that are hitting many areas of the country. But besides vaccines, there are other aspects of the immune system that may be linked to autism in some people. The include family history of autoimmune disorders as well as specific genetic mutations that confer protection against subtypes of ASD. This week’s ASF podcast will explore these theories and present different ideas on how the immune response is involved in autism, and if it is at all.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30976114
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30975444
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A new study uses baby teeth, which are formed in pregnancy and emerge at about 6 months to a year, to understand the dynamics of metals in people with autism. Not just the levels, but the cycles of zinc and copper, which goes up and down normally with regular biological processes. This could be the start to many more studies which use baby teeth to understand prenatal and early neonatal exposures in people with autism. Also, the largest study published so far on food allergies confirmed a higher than normal presence of food, respiratory and skin allergies in people with autism. Are allergies part of autism? Probably not, but there seem to be a subgroup of people with immune issues that warrant specific treatments for those allergies.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29854952
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2683952
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This podcast was going to be dedicated to new early detection research which shows what the USPSTF has been looking for – the link between early detection, early intervention, and improved outcomes in a community setting. Those findings are still included this week, but there is a slight diversion in theme. The podcast will also include an explanation of the immune/microbiome study published in Nature and misrepresented by Korea Daily. The study is important, however, the media sensationalized the findings and did the research no favors by labeling it a “major cause”. Learn what the study did and what it actually discovered in this week’s podcast.
Here are the references of the studies mentioned in the podcast:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28902840
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28905160
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27474118
