Abstract
BackgroundBiologic markers of infection and inflammation have been associated with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) but prior studies have largely relied on specimens taken after clinical diagnosis. Research on potential biologic markers early in neurodevelopment is required to evaluate possible causal pathways and screening profiles.ObjectiveTo investigate levels of cytokines and chemokines in newborn blood specimens as possible early biologic markers for autism.MethodsWe conducted a population-based case-control study nested within the cohort of infants born from July 2000 to September 2001 to women who participated in the prenatal screening program in Orange County, California, USA. The study population included children ascertained from the California Department of Developmental Services with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD, n = 84), or developmental delay but not ASD (DD, n = 49), and general population controls randomly sampled from the birth certificate files and frequency matched to ASD cases on sex, birth month and birth year (GP, n = 159). Cytokine and chemokine concentrations were measured in archived neonatal blood specimens collected for routine newborn screening.ResultsCytokines were not detected in the vast majority of newborn samples regardless of case or control status. However, the chemokine monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) was elevated and the chemokine Regulated upon Activation Normal T-Cell Expressed and Secreted (RANTES) was decreased in ASD cases compared to GP controls. The chemokines macrophage inflammatory protein-1alpha (MIP-1α) and RANTES were decreased in children with DD compared to GP controls.ConclusionMeasurement of immune system function in the first few days of life may aid in the early identification of abnormal neurodevelopment and shed light on the biologic mechanisms underlying normal neurodevelopment.
Highlights
Biologic markers of infection and inflammation have been associated with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) but prior studies have largely relied on specimens taken after clinical diagnosis
There was no difference between ASD cases and general population controls (GP) controls in gestational age, age at newborn screening, or birth year
ASD cases were more likely than GP controls to have levels of monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) above the 90th percentile (adjusted odds ratio (ORadj) = 3.24, 95% CI 1.41 to 7.47) (Table 3)
Summary
Biologic markers of infection and inflammation have been associated with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) but prior studies have largely relied on specimens taken after clinical diagnosis. Cytokines and chemokines are proteins involved in regulating hematopoiesis, inflammation, and immune cell proliferation and differentiation [20] They play an important role in normal neurodevelopment, including the processes of neuronal migration and synaptic plasticity [21,22]. In animal models, injection of the cytokine IL6 or IL-2 into pregnant mice leads to neurodevelopmental abnormalities in the offspring including decreased prepulse inhibition and latent inhibition, attention, exploratory and social behaviors [23,24] These findings suggest that reported associations between maternal infections or inflammation during pregnancy and ASD [25,26,27,28,29,30,31] could be mediated through a disruption in the balance of cytokine or chemokine levels
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
