What type of immune reactions are present in the brain of autistic patients?
In our study, we have demonstrated a marked increase in neuroglial responses, characterized by activation of microglia and astroglia, in the brains of autistic patients. These increased neuroglial responses are likely part of neuroinflammatory reactions associated with the central nervous system’s (CNS) innate immune system. In innate immune reactions of the CNS, microglial activation is the main cellular response to CNS dysfunction. This is in contrast to adaptive immune responses, in which lymphocyte and/or antibody mediated reactions are the dominant responses. In our sample of autistic patients, microglial and astroglial activation was present in the absence of lymphocyte infiltration or immunoglobulin deposition in the CNS. It also was associated with increased production of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines such as MCP-1 and TGF-1 by neuroglia. • Is neuroinflammation always present in the brain of autistic patients? NOT necessarily. Since autism is a disorder that
