Autism Studies and Related Medical Conditions, January 2009 - TACA

Silva SC, Correia C, Fesel C, Barreto M, Coutinho AM, Marques C, Miguel TS, Ataide A,
Bento C, Borges L, Oliveira G, Vicente AM. Autoantibody repertoires to brain tissue in
autism nuclear families. J Neuroimmunol. 2004 Jul;152(1-2):176-82.
Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua da Quinta Grande 6, 2781-196 Oeiras,
Portugal.
The hypothesis of an immune dysfunction in autism spectrum disorders has
previously been put forward without, however, compelling evidence of a direct
relation to its etiology or pathogenesis. To further understand if autoimmunity
could play a significant role in autism, we analyzed autoantibody repertoires to
brain tissue extract in the plasma of 171 autism children, their parents, and 54
controls, by quantitative immunoblotting. Multiparametric analysis revealed
significant differences between patients and controls, and showed that one single
reactivity in Section 32 of the blot had the most power to discriminate between
these samples. Family correlation coefficients and heritability estimates did not
provide any evidence that this reactivity was genetically determined. While the
molecular weight of the target protein suggested that it might be an isoform of
Myelin Basic Protein (MBP), inhibition assays with human MBP argued against
this hypothesis. The study evidences the widespread occurrence of
autoreactivities to brain tissue in autism patients, which may represent the
immune system's neuroprotective response to a previous brain injury occurred
during neurodevelopment. The molecular identification of the target protein in
Section 32 will contribute to the understanding of the role of immune responses
against brain antigens in autistic patients.
PMID: 15223250 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Singer HS, Morris CM, Williams PN, Yoon DY, Hong JJ, Zimmerman AW. Antibrain
antibodies in children with autism and their unaffected siblings. J Neuroimmunol. 2006
Sep;178(1-2):149-155.
Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Jefferson
Street Building 124, 600 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21287-1000, USA.
hsinger@jhmi.edu
Serum autoantibodies to human brain, identified by ELISA and Western
immunoblotting, were evaluated in 29 children with autism spectrum disorder
(22 with autistic disorder), 9 non-autistic siblings and 13 controls. More autistic
subjects than controls had bands at 100 kDa in caudate, putamen and prefrontal
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