Possible sexually dimorphic role of miRNA and other sncRNA in ASD brain.
Cynthia M Schumann, Frank R Sharp, Bradley P Ander and 1 others
PMID 28184278WHAT IT FOUND
In postmortem temporal cortex from 10 ASD and 8 control donors, female ASD brains showed more altered small noncoding RNAs than male ASD brains, compared with same-sex controls.
The differences were regional and pointed toward immune and nervous system pathways.
Key findings
01In the superior temporal sulcus, 20 small noncoding RNAs were differentially expressed in autistic females versus control females, compared with 8 in autistic males versus control males.
02Across the two temporal regions, 55 combined dysregulated small noncoding RNAs were reported in autistic females and 34 in autistic males.
03Female regional pathway analysis showed more immune, neurotransmitter, and nervous-system signalling pathways than male analysis.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The study used brain tissue from only 10 autistic and 8 control donors, and the male and female groups were unbalanced. Postmortem tissue cannot show what is happening in a living brain, and causes of death, time after death, age, and tissue processing varied. The RNA differences may be a consequence of autism or a compensatory change, not a cause. The study did not measure the predicted target RNAs in the same samples, so the pathway effects are predictions.
Declared interests
The paper lists funding from the National Institute of Mental Health and UC Davis Children’s Miracle Network. It does not provide a conflict-of-interest statement in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these postmortem RNA differences as evidence that a treatment works or that clinicians should change therapy based on sex. The study analysed brain tissue from 10 autistic and 8 control donors, and the authors say the changes could be consequences or compensatory mechanisms, not causes.