Bone Marrow Transplant Curbs Autism Symptoms in Mice

An altered immune system can cause autism-like behaviors, suggests a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The researchers found that a bone marrow transplant, which restores the animals’ immune system, alleviates some of their symptoms, including anxiety and repetitive behavior.Such transplants are too dangerous for treating people with autism, but the findings suggest other treatments targeting immune cells, the researchers say.When confronted with foreign cells — for example, when infected with a virus — the body typically activates immune cells called T cells to release signaling molecules called cytokines. A different set of T cells, called regulatory T cells, then keep that immune response in check by suppressing the activated T cells.In the study, researchers injected pregnant mice with a mock flu virus that sets off their immune response. The offspring carry overly responsive T cells and have too few regulatory T cells throughout their lifetime, the study found. These two things together point to an immune system that's overly reactive.Read more at...SFARI, August 2012