Unraveling Neuroimmune Mechanisms & Comorbidities in Autism Chandhra Menendez PhD - Synchrony 2023

Описание: Dr. Chandra Menendez is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Dr. Madeleine Cunningham’s Laboratory. Her primary research focus is to understand the autoimmune pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders.

In this talk, titled 'Infectious Sequelae Associated Anti-Neuronal and Anti-Microbial Autoantibodies in Autism Spectrum Disorder and PANDAS: Unraveling Neuroimmune Mechanisms and Comorbidities', she presents her research team's latest findings on the detection of brain-targeted autoantibodies in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), which opens the inquiry into autoimmune encephalopathy (AE). Emerging evidence and effectiveness of therapies like Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG) indicate potential immune dysfunction in a subset of children with ASD. Given the overlapping neuropsychiatric symptoms and the presence of anti-neuronal autoantibodies in both ASD and Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS), their study explored shared mechanisms to identify AE PANDAS subtypes in ASD.

Their investigation into the cross-reactive anti-neuronal and anti-microbial autoantibody responses associated with streptococcal and other childhood infections in ASD and PANDAS revealed that sera from both groups exhibited autoreactive anti-neuronal IgG against dopamine receptors, brain tubulin, and activated calcium/calmodulin-dependent
protein kinase II (CaMKII) in human neuronal cells. Further, they demonstrated shared gene expression signatures and enriched pathways mediated by ASD and PANDAS sera, suggesting similarities and differences in these neurological and psychiatric disorders, and the role of infection.

The findings suggest that molecular mimicry and immune cross-reactivity between host and pathogen contribute to the pathogenesis of infection-mediated autoimmune sequelae, resulting in the emergence of tic and OCD behaviors in ASD and PANDAS.

🎥 This talk was part of Synchrony 2023 Online Symposium - 'From Bench to Biopharma', organised by the The BRAIN Foundation

🎥 Synchrony 2023 playlist:    • Synchrony Symposium 2023  

Synchrony https://brainfoundation.org/synchrony... is the first and only international symposium on translational research in #autism, that brings together academia, #biotech, #pharmaceuticalcompanies and venture partners from around the world with the mission to improve health and quality of life of people with #autismspectrumdisorder.


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The BRAIN Foundation https://brainfoundation.org/ is a 501c(3) non-profit. The founders of BRAIN envision a world where every child and adult on the autism spectrum is healthy, participates fully in education and employment, and has a better quality of life. It aims to catalyze research that results in evidence-based interventions for the disabilities associated with autism, and also results in better medical standard of care. To accomplish this, it funds impactful research through #philanthropy and our network of partners in the venture, corporate, and grassroots community.