Beth Stevens discusses brain immunity and wiring
Watch the complete replay of Beth Stevens discussing the link between immune cells in the brain, neuronal junctions and autism. Submit follow-up questions.
Watch the complete replay of Beth Stevens discussing the link between immune cells in the brain, neuronal junctions and autism. Submit follow-up questions.
People with autism and those with duplications of the 15q11-13 chromosomal region share a distinctive pattern of gene expression in the brain, according to unpublished research presented Friday at the Dup15q Alliance Scientific Meeting in Sacramento, California.
Mounting evidence finds abnormally high levels of immune cells in the brains of people with autism. But how do we separate cause from effect?
Emerging evidence indicates that microglia, the brain’s immune cells, are altered in some individuals with autism, raising questions about their role in brain development, says Beth Stevens.
Watch the complete replay of Jonathan Kipnis discussing his groundbreaking work connecting microglia and peripheral immunity to autism. Submit your own follow-up questions.
In December, SFARI brought together a group of scientists studying the connection between microglia and autism. These scientists are trying to delineate the next steps for this emerging field. Join the conversation.
Microglia, brain cells that are part of the immune system, are more activated in the brains of young men with autism than in controls, according to an imaging study published 26 November in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
Children with autism have higher levels than controls of dendritic cells, a subset of immune cells, according to a study published 11 October in Brain Behavior and Immunity.
Postmortem brains from individuals with autism have astrocytes that are smaller but denser than in control brains, according to a study published 21 September in the Journal of Neuroinflammation. The researchers found similar alterations in a mouse that lacks the autism-linked gene NLGN3.
The so-called ‘spiny mouse’ species has a gestational period twice as long as that of typical laboratory mice. This makes them good models for studying the link between prenatal exposure and autism risk, according to a study published 29 August in Brain, Behavior and Immunity.