ABOVE: © ISTOCK.COM, JAMESBREY
While researchers have found plenty of gene variants that seem to increase the risk of an autism diagnosis, it’s not clear why some people carrying these mutations develop autism spectrum disorders and some do not. In a study published today (September 17) in Science Advances, researchers point to a potential answer: severe infections during early childhood. After an early immune challenge, male mice with a mutated copy of the tuberous sclerosis complex 2 (Tsc2) gene developed deficits in social behavior linked to changes in microglia, the immune cells of the brain. And an analysis of the hospital records of more than 3 million children showed that children, particularly boys, who were hospitalized for infections between ages 18 months and four years were more likely that healthy peers to receive a future autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis.
“We have genetic models, and we have a lot of ...
