Autism-specific maternal anti-fetal brain autoantibodies are associated with metabolic conditions.

ABSTRACT: Approximately 23% of mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) produce specific patterns of autoantibodies to fetal brain proteins that have been detected in only 1% of mothers of typically developing children. The biological mechanisms underlying the development of ASD-specific maternal autoantibodies are poorly understood. We sought to determine whether ASD-specific maternal autoantibodies identified postnatally were associated with metabolic conditions (MCs) during gestation. Participants were 227 mothers of 2-5 year old children with confirmed ASD, enrolled in CHARGE (Childhood Autism Risk from Genetics and the Environment) between January 2003 and April 2008, and from whom blood samples were collected and analyzed for anti-fetal brain autoantibodies (Ab+). MCs included d

SUBMITTER: Krakowiak P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5164872 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature