Persistence of dysfunctional natural killer cells in adults with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders: stigma/consequence of unresolved early infectious events?
Meriem Bennabi, Nadine Tarantino, Alexandru Gaman and 13 others
PMID 31123562WHAT IT FOUND
Adults with high-functioning autism showed persistent natural killer cell activation and altered function, including links to language and social awareness scores.
This is a biomarker association, not a tested treatment or clinical test.
Key findings
01Adults with high-functioning autism had increased NK-cell expression of NKG2A and HLA-DR compared with controls.
02Without stimulation, NK cells from adults with high-functioning autism showed higher degranulation and IFN-γ production than controls; after stimulation, their IFN-γ production and degranulation fell.
03Higher NK-cell HLA-DR expression was associated with higher structural language and social awareness scores.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study included a small sample of adults with high-functioning autism, and the immune analyses were exploratory. The first control group was selected only for absence of psychiatric disorders and showed NK-cell abnormalities, so the researchers switched to blood bank controls that were not screened for psychiatric disorders. Only four patients were followed for immune stability over the reported follow-up period, and functional assays used smaller subsets of patients and controls. The study tested no treatment and cannot show that immune dysfunction causes autism or affects communication. The authors discuss a possible unresolved infection or pathogen, but no specific pathogen was identified. The paper does not name a single primary clinical outcome.
Declared interests
The supplied text does not include a conflicts-of-interest or funding declaration. The article is marked as research support from non-U.S. government sources.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that immune dysfunction causes autism or that NK-cell tests can guide therapy. The study reports associations in adults with high-functioning autism and tested no treatment.