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Maternal Anti-Fetal Brain IgG Autoantibodies and Autism Spectrum Disorder: Current Knowledge and its Implications for Potential Therapeutics

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Abstract

Several studies have found a correlation between the presence of circulating maternal autoantibodies and neuronal dysfunction in the neonate. Specifically, maternal anti-brain autoantibodies, which may access the fetal compartment during gestation, have been identified as one risk factor for developing autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Studies by our laboratory elucidated seven neurodevelopmental proteins recognized by maternal autoantibodies whose presence is associated with a diagnosis of maternal autoantibody-related (MAR) autism in the child. While the specific process of anti-brain autoantibody generation is unclear and the detailed pathogenic mechanisms are currently unknown, identification of the maternal autoantibody targets increases the therapeutic possibilities. The potential therapies discussed in this review provide a framework for possible future medical interventions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Rheumatology/Allergy and Clinical Immunology, University of California, Davis, 451 E. Health Sciences Drive, Suite 6510 GBSF, Davis, CA, 95616, USA

    Elizabeth Fox-Edmiston & Judy Van de Water

  2. The M.I.N.D. Institute, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA

    Elizabeth Fox-Edmiston & Judy Van de Water

  3. NIEHS Center for Children’s Environmental Health, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA

    Judy Van de Water

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  1. Elizabeth Fox-Edmiston
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  2. Judy Van de Water
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Correspondence to Judy Van de Water.

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Funding

This work was supported by National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) 5P01ES011269-13, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) through the Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program (Grant R829388), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded M.I.N.D. (Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders) Institute Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (U54 HD079125).

Conflict of interest

Judy Van de Water is a scientific advisor to Pediatric Bioscience, the company that has licensed the MAR technology from UC Davis. Elizabeth Fox-Edmiston has no conflicts of interest to declare.

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Fox-Edmiston, E., Van de Water, J. Maternal Anti-Fetal Brain IgG Autoantibodies and Autism Spectrum Disorder: Current Knowledge and its Implications for Potential Therapeutics. CNS Drugs 29, 715–724 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40263-015-0279-2

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