Adaptive maternal immune deviations as a ground for autism spectrum disorders development in children
Alexander B Poletaev1, Alina A Poletaeva1, Alexander I Pukhalenko1
1PK Anokhin Institute of Normal Physiology, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, The Medical Research Center “Immunculus”, Moscow, Russia
Insights
Maternal immune imprinting, involving IgG antibodies crossing the placenta, may contribute to autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in children. This research explores predicting nervous system development risks and early ASD diagnosis.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Immunology
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) affect a significant number of children, with increasing frequency.
- The exact causes and pathogenesis of ASD remain incompletely understood.
- Maternal immune imprinting is a potential mechanism contributing to ASD development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the role of maternal immune imprinting in the pathogenesis of ASD.
- To discuss methods for predicting abnormal fetal nervous system development.
- To investigate early diagnosis of ASD in high-risk children.
Main Methods:
- Discussion of maternal immune imprinting via transplacental IgG antibody translocation.
- Analysis of epigenetic tuning of the fetal immune system.
- Examination of quantitative changes in maternal autoantibodies due to microbial populations or environmental pollutants.
Main Results:
- Maternal immune imprinting can influence fetal immune system development, potentially leading to inborn pathologies like ASD.
- Changes in maternal autoantibodies, influenced by microbes or pollutants, can be adaptive for the mother but pathogenic for the fetus.
- The study discusses the potential for predicting risks and early diagnosis of ASD.
Conclusions:
- Maternal immune imprinting is a plausible mechanism in ASD pathogenesis.
- Predictive markers and early diagnostic strategies for ASD are crucial for high-risk infants.
- Further research is needed to fully elucidate the maternal immune system's role in ASD.
Abstract:
Autism is a vexed problem today. Overall, there is a high frequency of birth children (1:80 - 1:150) with late diagnosed autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and this trend is getting progressively stronger. The causes for the currently increased frequency of ASD and the pathogenesis of ASD are not fully understood yet. One of the most likely mechanisms inducing ASD may be a maternal immune imprinting. This phenomenon is based on transplacental translocation of maternal antibodies of IgG class and, as a consequence, on the epigenetic "tuning" of immune system of the fetus and child. This mechanism provides development of child's anti-infection resistance before meeting with microorganisms, but it can be also a cause of inborn pathology including the ASD appearance. The quantitative changes in maternal blood serum autoantibodies depend on a specific microbial population, or are induced by environmental chemical pollutants in association with some individual features of the maternal metabolism. These immune changes are adaptive in most cases for the maternal organism, but can be pathogenic for the fetus in some cases. We discuss in the present paper the possibilities to predict the risk from abnormal development of nervous system in fetus and early diagnosis of ASD in high-risk group of children.
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