There was a new large study published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, that provided findings that linked gestational inflammation to an increased risk of developing autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and the Norwegian National Institute of Public Health determined that abnormal brain development could be a result of these molecular signatures found during pregnancy. This information could lead to an eventual screening test for ASD at birth.

These newest research findings give further evidence of an increased risk of developing ASD from fetal exposure to inflammation during the gestation period.

In previous studies, a greater risk of developing ASD was linked to potential maternal inflammation triggers like; influenza infection, herpes virus type 2 and prenatal exposure to maternal fever.

According to Mady Hornig, MD, associate professor of epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School, “We found immune signatures in mid-pregnancy blood samples and in umbilical cord blood from children later diagnosed with autism that correlates with responses to infection, and molecules important for the development of the brain and it’s blood supply.”

The study reveals that inflammation can interfere during the period of pregnancy when the central nervous system is being developed.

During this new study, researchers analyzed cytokines and growth factors along with 60 other biomarkers responsible for immune response, taken from mid-term pregnancy blood and at birth blood cord samples from 957 children. Close to 50% were then later diagnosed with ASD. They compared different groupings of the inflammation related molecules to ASD risks in both sexes. The results found two of the more predictive interleukins, IL1RA and IL4, along with four others, TNFa, Serpin E1, VCAM1 and IL1B, involved with fetal brain development, increased the ASD risk in both boys and girls.

This study has been a 20 year ongoing effort of data and sample gathering that will no doubt set the stage for future research into finding the inflammation triggers and linking them to genetic weaknesses.

Early identification of inflammatory molecules may lead to more promising medicines, treatment options, and a way to determine from birth who’s at greater risk for developing ASD.

-A Balanced Brain is a Better Brain-