Researchers have found out that Autism Spectrum Disorder might be because of the mother's weak immune system and not the virus itself. With Zika, it was proven that the virus directly attacks the baby but with other infections like H1N1 influenza, the virus challenges the maternal immune system during pregnancy.
The researchers have also recently found out that Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) might be because of the weak maternal immune system. The study, which was published in "Molecular Psychiatry", has proved that there is indeed a direct relation between maternal infections and psychiatric disorders, UC San Diego Health reported. The researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, University of Cyprus and Stanford University have studied the difficult relationship of the maternal immune system and its effect on unborn children.
"We provide novel evidence that supports the link between prenatal infections and biology known to be important in the development of autism," said senior author Tiziano Pramparo, Ph.D., associate research scientist at the Autism Center of Excellence at UC San Diego School of Medicine. Though there are different ways, in the study, it focused on a specific pathway that may lead them to know what drives the early development of the abnormal brain.
"Our work adds to growing evidence that prenatal development is an important window for understanding the key biology of relevance to neurodevelopmental conditions like autism," added lead author Michael Lombardo, Ph.D., at the University of Cyprus. The mother's immune system is one factor that will lead to a healthy baby. The baby's brain development will be shaped by the environment of the maternal immune system, stated NCBI
The study also concluded that Autism Spectrum Disorder is not just hereditary. The maternal immune system has a big role in it. As the scientists concluded that autism starts when the child is still a fetus, it starts when it is still inside the mother's womb. The infections that attack a mother's immune system will likely affect the baby as well.
