Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 19, 2026
Generating a Reproducible Model of Mid-Gestational Maternal Immune Activation using Poly(I:C) to Study Susceptibility and Resilience in Offspring
Published on: August 17, 2022
Maternal antibrain antibodies in autism
Andrew W Zimmerman1, Susan L Connors, Karla J Matteson
1Department of Neurology and Developmental Medicine, Kennedy Krieger Institute, 707 North Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. zimmerman@kennedykrieger.org
Insights
Mothers of children with autism show unique antibodies targeting prenatal brain proteins. These autoantibodies may cross the placenta, potentially influencing fetal brain development and autism pathogenesis.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Immunology
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with increasing evidence linking it to systemic and neuroimmune mechanisms.
- While genetics play a role, atypical prenatal maternal immune responses are also implicated in autism pathogenesis.
- Understanding prenatal immune factors is crucial for elucidating autism's origins.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate serum antibody reactivity in mothers and children with autism against prenatal, postnatal, and adult rat brain proteins.
- To identify specific prenatal antigens targeted by maternal antibodies in autism.
- To explore the potential role of maternal autoantibodies in the prenatal development of autism.
Main Methods:
- Serum samples from 11 mothers and their autistic children, maternal controls, and various control groups were analyzed.
- Immunoblotting techniques were used to test serum reactivity against prenatal (gestational day 18), postnatal (day 8), and adult rat brain proteins.
- Specific antigens, including myelin basic protein (MBP) and glial acidic fibrillary protein (GFAP), were used to identify antibody targets.
Main Results:
- Similar antibody reactivity patterns to prenatal (day 18) rat brain proteins were observed in autistic children, their mothers, and children with other neurodevelopmental disorders.
- These reactivity patterns differed significantly from those in mothers of typically developing children, normal siblings, and normal child controls.
- Antibody reactivity persisted in mothers' sera for 2–18 years post-birth and was not linked to birth order; MBP and GFAP were not identified as targets.
Conclusions:
- Specific serum antibodies recognizing prenatally expressed brain antigens are present in mothers of children with autism.
- These maternal autoantibodies may cross the placenta, potentially impacting fetal brain development.
- The findings suggest a potential prenatal immune-mediated mechanism contributing to autism pathogenesis.
Abstract:
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder of prenatal onset that is behaviorally defined. There is increasing evidence for systemic and neuroimmune mechanisms in children with autism. Although genetic factors are important, atypical prenatal maternal immune responses may also be linked to the pathogenesis of autism. We tested serum reactivity in 11 mothers and their autistic children, maternal controls, and several groups of control children, to prenatal, postnatal, and adult rat brain proteins, by immunoblotting. Similar patterns of reactivity to prenatal (gestational day 18), but not postnatal (day 8) or adult rat brain proteins were identified in autistic children, their mothers, and children with other neurodevelopmental disorders, and differed from mothers of normal children, normal siblings of children with autism and normal child controls. Specific patterns of antibody reactivity were present in sera from the autism mothers, from 2 to 18 years after the birth of their affected children and were unrelated to birth order. Immunoblotting using specific antigens for myelin basic protein (MBP) and glial acidic fibrillary protein (GFAP) suggests that these proteins were not targets of the maternal antibodies. The identification of specific serum antibodies in mothers of children with autism that recognize prenatally expressed brain antigens suggests that these autoantibodies could cross the placenta and alter fetal brain development.
Related Concept Videos
01:19Autism Spectrum Disorder
These core symptoms manifest differently among individuals, ranging from mild to severe. The disorder's complexity extends beyond its clinical presentation, encompassing a diverse range of biological, cognitive, and sociocultural influences.
01:22Gut-Brain Axis
01:22Development of Immunocompetence
The initial cells that migrate from the fetal thymus settle within the skin and epithelial tissues lining the mouth, digestive tract, and in females, the uterus and vagina. These cells, including skin-based dendritic cells, serve as antigen-presenting cells, playing a key role in T cell activation.
Subsequent T...