Autism Spectrum Disorders and Natural Killer Cells: A Review on Pathogenesis and Treatment.

Autism Spectrum Disorders and Natural Killer Cells: A Review on Pathogenesis and Treatment. Expert Rev Clin Immunol. 2020 Nov 15;: Authors: Ebrahimi Meimand S, Rostam-Abadi Y, Rezaei N Abstract Introduction: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as a wide spectrum of neurodevelopmental disorders, is characterized by early-onset impairments in social-communication, repetitive behaviors, and restrictive interests. Areas covered: Although still unknown, there are some pieces of evidence suggesting altered immune function in the etiology of ASD. This review aims to summarize studies linking Natural Killer (NK) cells to ASD by searching through databases like MEDLINE and Scopus up to October 2020. NK cells play important roles in the innate immune system and immune regulation. As parts of the immune system, they interact with the neural system as well. Immune dysregulations such as autoimmunity and improper immune responses to both internal and external stimulations, especially in early developmental stages of the brain, may induce neurodevelopmental disorders. NK cells' dysfunction in children with ASD as well as their parents have been highlighted in many studies. Expert opinion: Changes in the frequency, gene expressions, cytotoxicity features, and receptors of NK cells are reported in children with ASD. Immune therapy for children with ASD with immune abnormality has shown promising results. However, further studies are needed to elucidate ...
Source: Expert Review of Clinical Immunology - Category: Allergy & Immunology Tags: Expert Rev Clin Immunol Source Type: research