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Review
. 2017 Mar 1;81(5):383-390.
doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2016.08.031. Epub 2016 Sep 1.

Autoimmunity, Autoantibodies, and Autism Spectrum Disorder

Elizabeth Edmiston  1 , Paul Ashwood  2 , Judy Van de Water  3
Affiliations
Review

Autoimmunity, Autoantibodies, and Autism Spectrum Disorder

Elizabeth Edmiston et al. Biol Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Auism spectrum disorder (ASD) now affects one in 68 births in the United States and is the fastest growing neurodevelopmental disability worldwide. Alarmingly, for the majority of cases, the causes of ASD are largely unknown, but it is becoming increasingly accepted that ASD is no longer defined simply as a behavioral disorder, but rather as a highly complex and heterogeneous biological disorder. Although research has focused on the identification of genetic abnormalities, emerging studies increasingly suggest that immune dysfunction is a viable risk factor contributing to the neurodevelopmental deficits observed in ASD. This review summarizes the investigations implicating autoimmunity and autoantibodies in ASD.

Keywords: Autism; Autoimmunity; Immune; Maternal autoantibodies; Neurodevelopmental; Pregnancy.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosures: Drs. Edmiston and Ashwood report no biomedical financial interests or potential conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Fetal Brain Antigens
The maternal autoantibodies detected in mothers of children affected with ASD bind to fetal brain antigens that are responsible for critical process in the developing brain.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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