Inflammation seen in kids with autism

Children with autism have inflammation in their brains, researchers have found, although it is not clear whether the inflammation causes the condition.

Tests on the brain tissue of 11 patients with autism who had died and on spinal fluid from six living children with autism showed the activation of immune system responses, reported a team at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore and the University of Milan.

“These findings reinforce the theory that immune activation in the brain is involved in autism, although it is not yet clear whether it is destructive or beneficial, or both, to the developing brain,” said Dr. Carlos Pardo-Villamizar of Johns Hopkins.

Autism is a brain disorder usually noticed as children become toddlers. Affecting an estimated two to five of every 1,000 children, autism has a spectrum of symptoms that include difficulty with social interaction and repetitive behaviors.

In a study published last week in the online edition of the Annals of Neurology, the researchers said they found abnormal activity by immune system signaling chemicals called chemokines in the autistic patients.