The numbers continue to climb and answers seem elusive at best.
Two recent studies from the
M.I.N.D. Institute at UC Davis link abnormal antibodies in maternal blood to increased rates of autism. In one study, six of the seven affected children had 'regressive autism', the type that manifests after a year or two of typical development. The scientists isolated a form of antibody called 'Immunoglobuliin G' (IgG)and discovered it bound to two proteins in fetal brain tissue.
In the second study, scientists at UC Davis and the
California National Primate Research Center injected rhesus monkeys with IgG at the end of their third trimester of pregnancy. These monkeys demonstrated higher rates of emitting stereotypy (pacing, arm-waving, back-flipping)
which suggests a behavioral link.
Thanks to Age of Autism and Kent Heckenlively for this story.
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