ReviewImmunological and autoimmune considerations of Autism Spectrum Disorders
Introduction
The underlying causes of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are still unknown. This limits the current treatment of ASD to intensive behavioral therapy for the core symptoms. There is an urgent need to improve our understanding of the underlying pathology of ASD in order to explore new therapeutic approaches for this severe lifelong condition. We will review studies that investigated various immunological aspects associated with ASD, and attempt to evaluate the quality of these studies, in an effort to direct future research towards the possible underlying mechanisms of ASD.
Section snippets
General background
In 1943 Leo Kanner [1894–1981] first described autism as a highly variable neuro-developmental disorder. In 1979, Wing and Gould characterized autism clinically by the triad of: a) Impaired social interaction, b) restricted communications skills, and c) unusual repetitive behavior. These categories have over time expanded to include
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Impaired social interaction- Infants show reduced attention to social stimuli, smile less, and manifest reduced eye contact and facial/emotional expression,
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Dr. Noel R. Rose (Director, Johns Hopkins Center for Autoimmune Disease Research) for graciously reviewing the manuscript. Thanks also to Professors Ronald Goldstein, Edwin Cook for their input and to Sarah Tal for her assistance in designing the figures.
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