LATEST SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES, about AUTO-ANTIBODIES in NEURO-DEVELOPMENTAL SYNDROMES:
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We demonstrated as published in 2014 that it is possible to measure levels of anti-DAT auto-antibodies (DAT-aAbs) in the serum of ADHD children. We are trying to extend this finding to other developmental, neuropsychiatric conditions.
The concept that an antibody may mediate a CNS disorder is relatively recent. In recent years, the role of an altered immune system in the etiology of major psychiatric disorders has become more apparent. EMMA is committed to divulge and to highlight discoveries on the role of auto-immunity in neuro-development. A special regard is devoted to ADHD, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and Tourette Syndrome. Some examples follow by clicking on "read more":
We recommend you an online Special Issue dedicated to auto-antibodies: Serum Auto-antibodies: From Identification to Clinical Relevance. Guest Editors: Pietro Invernizzi, Xavier Bossuyt, and Dimitrios P. Bogdanos
An N-glucosylated peptide detecting disease-specific autoantibodies, biomarkers of multiple sclerosis. Lolli F, Mulinacci B, Carotenuto A, Bonetti B, Sabatino G, Mazzanti B, D'Ursi AM, Novellino E, Pazzagli M, Lovato L, Alcaro MC, Peroni E, Pozo-Carrero MC, Nuti F, Battistini L, Borsellino G, Chelli M, Rovero P, Papini AM. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005 ; 102(29):10273-8. Epub 2005 Jul 12. Anti-ATP synthase autoantibodies induce neuronal death by apoptosis and impair cognitive performance in C57BL/6J mice. Berry A, Vacirca D, Capoccia S, Bellisario V, Malorni W, Ortona E, Cirulli F.
J Alzheimers Dis. 2013 ; 33(2):317-21. doi: 10.3233/JAD-2012-121312. Autoantibodies to the adenosine triphosphate synthase play a pathogenetic role in Alzheimer's disease. Vacirca D, Delunardo F, Matarrese P, Colasanti T, Margutti P, Siracusano A, Pontecorvo S, Capozzi A, Sorice M, Francia A, Malorni W, Ortona E.
Neurobiol Aging. 2012 ; 33(4):753-66. doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2010.05.013. Autoantibodies in patients with Alzheimer's disease: pathogenetic role and potential use as biomarkers of disease progression. Colasanti T, Barbati C, Rosano G, Malorni W, Ortona E.
Autoimmun Rev. 2010 ; 9(12):807-11. doi: 10.1016/j.autrev.2010.07.008.
Gibney SM, Drexhage HA (2013). Evidence for a Dysregulated Immune System in the Etiology of Psychiatric Disorders. J Neuro-immune Pharmacol. [Epub ahead of print] SourceAbstract - There is extensive bi-directional communication between the brain and the immune system in both health and disease. ... Studies have demonstrated that some patients with major psychiatric disorders exhibit characteristic signs of immune dysregulation and that this may be a common pathophysiological mechanism that underlies the development and progression of these disorders. Furthermore, many psychiatric disorders are also often accompanied by chronic medical conditions related to immune dysfunction such as autoimmune diseases, diabetes and atherosclerosis. One of the major psychiatric disorders that has been associated with an altered immune system is schizophrenia, with approximately one third of patients with this disorder showing immunological abnormalities such as an altered cytokine profile in serum and cerebrospinal fluid. An altered cytokine profile is also found in a proportion of patients with major depressive disorder and is thought to be potentially related to the pathophysiology of this disorder. Emerging evidence suggests that altered immune parameters may also be implicated in the neurobiological etiology of autism spectrum disorders. Further support for a role of immune dysregulation in the patho-physiology of these psychiatric disorders comes from studies showing the immunomodulating effects of antipsychotics and antidepressants, and the mood altering effects of anti-inflammatory therapies. This review will not attempt to discuss all of the psychiatric disorders that have been associated with an augmented immune system, but will instead focus on several key disorders where dysregulation of this system has been implicated in their pathophysiology including depression, schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder.
It was thought thatantibodiesrarely, if ever, cause a CNS disease. In last years, autoimmune forms of encephalitis withantibodiesagainst neuronal surface antigens have shown that CNS disorders can beantibodymediated... (co-author: prof. Angela Vincent).  
May 6, 2009. Biol Psychiatry. 2009 [Epub ahead of print] Changes in the Developmental Trajectories of Striatum in Autism. Langen M, et al.
Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antibodies, cognitive dysfunction, and depression ...  |
