Depressed lymphocyte responsiveness in autistic children

Area of Science:

• Neurodevelopmental disorders
• Immunology
• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) research

Background:

• The precise causes of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remain largely unknown.
• Potential links exist between prenatal infections (rubella, cytomegalovirus, syphilis, varicella) and ASD.
• Cell-mediated immunity is hypothesized to play a role in host defense against suspected ASD etiologic agents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate cellular immune function in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
• To compare the in vitro immune response of autistic children to that of typically developing children.

Main Methods:

• Assessed cellular immune function using in vitro lymphocyte cultures.
• Stimulated lymphocyte cultures with phytohemagglutinin (PHA).
• Compared immune response between 12 autistic children and 13 control subjects.

Main Results:

• Autistic children demonstrated a significantly depressed lymphocyte transformation response to PHA.
• The difference in PHA response between autistic and control groups was statistically significant (p < .01).

Conclusions:

• Findings suggest a potential impairment in cellular immune function in individuals with autism spectrum disorder.
• This preliminary study indicates a possible role for immune system dysregulation in the etiology or manifestation of ASD.