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Philadelphia, November 10, 2020 – The causes of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including genetic and environmental factors, are not fully understood. Many studies have already shown that severe maternal infection during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk to offspring in both humans and animals. New research, however, shows that lower risk of ASD is associated with mean levels of an immune marker measured at birth, while too much or not enough was linked to increased risk.
The report of researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden appears in Biological psychiatry, published by Elsevier. The study is based on the idea that the developing brain may be particularly vulnerable to immune signaling disorders and exposure to inflammation.
“We studied a set of molecules called acute phase proteins that are part of the innate immune system, which is our first line of defense against infection and is always monitoring the body for signs of invasion,” said L ‘lead author Renee Gardner, PhD. “These molecules circulate in our bloodstream all the time, but they can rapidly increase after exposure to the infection.”
The researchers examined the proteins from birth blood samples from nearly 1,000 children with ASD and over 1,000 healthy controls from the Stockholm Youth Cohort, a Swedish health registry. Babies born with high levels of a classic marker of inflammation, called C-reactive protein (CRP), were at higher risk for ASD.
The thinking based on previous studies was simply that too much inflammation hurts the developing brain. Surprisingly, however, the lowest risk was associated with mid-range CRP levels. “This means that too much inflammation may actually be bad for the developing brain, but it could also be too little, explained Dr. Gardner.
“Among infants whose mothers were hospitalized for an infection during pregnancy, those who were able to produce a little more of these acute-phase proteins tended to have a lower risk of autism. Hence. it seems that a greater ability to respond to the surrounding environment could translate into a lower risk of autism, “he added.
In a second part of the study, the researchers compared the levels of immune proteins at birth between infants with ASD and their siblings without ASD. The unaffected siblings had higher levels of immune markers than those with ASD. “This is interesting because siblings share about half of their DNA and environment within the womb and during the first few days of life they are likely similar between siblings,” said Dr. Gardner.
Another interesting finding concerns the risk of ASD represented by maternal anemia or iron deficiency. Among children whose mothers were anemic, those with the highest levels of ferritin, an iron-binding protein in the blood, an indicator of iron levels, were protected from autism. This finding suggests the importance of iron status for the developing brain and may explain the anemia-related risk of neurodevelopmental disorders.
“The association between immune system activation markers at birth and the resulting risk of autism could be important,” he said. Biological psychiatry publisher John Krystal, MD. “We have looked for avenues for the prevention of ASD, such as mechanisms that might be targeted by drugs before symptoms appear. However, we need to be cautious because we don’t yet know if immune activation is a contributor or a marker of risk. for autism. “
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Notes for editors
The article is “Neonatal Acute Phase Protein Levels and Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorders”, by Renee Gardner, Brian Lee, Martin Brynge, Hugo Sjöqvist, Christina Dalman, Håkan Karlsson (https: /
Copies of this document are available to accredited journalists upon request; contact Rhiannon Bugno at [email protected] or +1 254 522 9700. Journalists wishing to interview the authors can contact Renee Gardner at [email protected] or +46 70 355 57 56, or contact the Karolinska Institute Press office [email protected] or +46 8524860 77.
The authors’ affiliations and disclosures on financial matters and conflicts of interest are available in the article.
John H. Krystal, MD, is President of the Department of Psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine, Chief of Psychiatry at Yale-New Haven Hospital, and a research psychiatrist at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System. His disclosures on financial issues and conflicts of interest are available here.
Of Biological psychiatry
Biological psychiatry is the official journal of the Society of Biological Psychiatry, whose purpose is to promote excellence in scientific research and education in fields that investigate the nature, causes, mechanisms and treatments of disorders of thought, emotion, or behavior. In accordance with this mission, this rapidly published, peer-reviewed international journal publishes basic and clinical contributions from all disciplines and research areas relevant to the pathophysiology and treatment of major psychiatric disorders.
The journal publishes new original research findings that represent a major new advantage or significant impact in the field, particularly those involving genetic and environmental risk factors, neural circuitry and neurochemistry, and important new therapeutic approaches. Reviews and comments focusing on current research topics and interest are also encouraged.
Biological psychiatry is one of the most selective and highly cited journals in the field of psychiatric neuroscience. It is rated 7th out of 155 psychiatry qualifications and 12th on 271 Neuroscience titles in the Journal Citations Reports® published by Clarivate Analytics. The 2019 impact factor score for biological psychiatry is 12,095. http: // www.
About Elsevier
Elsevier is a global information analytics company that helps scientists and doctors find new answers, reshape human knowledge, and tackle the most pressing human crises. For 140 years we have been collaborating with the world of research to cure and verify scientific knowledge. Today, we are committed to bringing that rigor to a new generation of platforms. Elsevier provides digital solutions and tools in the areas of strategic research management, research and development performance, clinical decision support and professional training; including ScienceDirect, Scopus, SciVal, ClinicalKey and Sherpath. Elsevier publishes over 2,500 digitized journals, including The Lancet is Cell , more than 39,000 e-book titles and many iconic reference works, including Gray’s anatomy. Elsevier is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based decision making and analytics tools for professional and corporate clients. http: // www.
Contact with the media
Rhiannon Bugno, Editorial staff
Biological psychiatry
+1 254 522 9700
[email protected]
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