Ashwood Paul, Wills Sharifia, Van de Water Judy
Medical Microbiology and Immunology and the M.I.N.D. Institute, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA.
J Leukoc Biol. 2006 Jul;80(1):1-15. doi: 10.1189/jlb.1205707. Epub 2006 May 12.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are part of a broad spectrum of neurodevelopmental disorders known as pervasive developmental disorders, which occur in childhood. They are characterized by impairments in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and the presence of restricted and repetitive stereotyped behaviors. At the present time, the etiology of ASD is largely unknown, but genetic, environmental, immunological, and neurological factors are thought to play a role in the development of ASD. Recently, increasing research has focused on the connections between the immune system and the nervous system, including its possible role in the development of ASD. These neuroimmune interactions begin early during embryogenesis and persist throughout an individual's lifetime, with successful neurodevelopment contingent upon a normal balanced immune response. Immune aberrations consistent with a dysregulated immune response, which so far, have been reported in autistic children, include abnormal or skewed T helper cell type 1 (T(H)1)/T(H)2 cytokine profiles, decreased lymphocyte numbers, decreased T cell mitogen response, and the imbalance of serum immunoglobulin levels. In addition, autism has been linked with autoimmunity and an association with immune-based genes including human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DRB1 and complement C4 alleles described. There is potential that such aberrant immune activity during vulnerable and critical periods of neurodevelopment could participate in the generation of neurological dysfunction characteristic of ASD. This review will examine the status of the research linking the immune response with ASD.
自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）是一类广泛的神经发育障碍的一部分，这类障碍被称为广泛性发育障碍，发生于儿童期。其特征包括社交互动、言语和非言语交流受损，以及存在受限的重复刻板行为。目前，ASD的病因在很大程度上尚不清楚，但遗传、环境、免疫和神经因素被认为在ASD的发生发展中起作用。最近，越来越多的研究聚焦于免疫系统与神经系统之间的联系，包括其在ASD发生发展中可能扮演的角色。这些神经免疫相互作用在胚胎发育早期就开始了，并贯穿个体一生，正常的神经发育取决于正常平衡的免疫反应。到目前为止，在自闭症儿童中报道的与免疫反应失调一致的免疫异常包括异常或偏向的1型辅助性T细胞（Th1）/2型辅助性T细胞（Th2）细胞因子谱、淋巴细胞数量减少、T细胞丝裂原反应降低以及血清免疫球蛋白水平失衡。此外，自闭症与自身免疫有关，并且与包括人类白细胞抗原（HLA）-DRB1和补体C4等位基因在内的基于免疫的基因存在关联。在神经发育的脆弱关键期，这种异常的免疫活动有可能参与ASD特征性神经功能障碍的产生。本综述将探讨将免疫反应与ASD联系起来的研究现状。
