Maternal Mid-Gestation Cytokine Dysregulation in Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Overview

Journal J Autism Dev Disord

Publisher Springer

Date 2021 Sep 10

PMID 34505185

Citations 8

Authors

S Casey

M Carter

A M Looney

V Livingstone

G Moloney

G W OKeeffe

R S Taylor

L C Kenny

F P McCarthy

L M E McCowan

J M D Thompson

D M Murray

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder characterised by deficits in social interactions and communication, with stereotypical and repetitive behaviours. Recent evidence suggests that maternal immune dysregulation may predispose offspring to ASD. Independent samples t-tests revealed downregulation of IL-17A concentrations in cases, when compared to controls, at both 15 weeks (p = 0.02), and 20 weeks (p = 0.02), which persisted at 20 weeks following adjustment for confounding variables. This adds to the growing body of evidence that maternal immune regulation may play a role in foetal neurodevelopment.

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