CHICAGO – A high level of tumor necrosis factor-α in cerebrospinal fluid, but not serum, may be an early indicator for neuroinflammation and possibly autism, according to a study of eight autistic children with regression.
Although recent reports have found elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokines in brain tissue and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of autistic patients, no studies to date have specifically examined the level of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in patients with autistic regression, Dr. Michael G. Chez reported during a poster session at the annual meeting of the American Neurological Association.
The mean concentration of TNF-α in the CSF of eight male patients who had autistic regression at an age of 15–24 months was significantly higher than it was in sera collected at the same time from the patients at ages ranging from 2.1 years to 9.5 years (62.6 pg/mL vs. 3.5 pg/mL), according to Dr. Chez of the department of neurology at Chicago Medical School, North Chicago.
The CSF-to-serum ratio of TNF-α in autistic patients (24.4:1.0) was higher than what has been reported for other inflammation-related disorders, such as meningitis, multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, HIV, traumatic brain injury, dementia, and stroke, all of which had ratios near 1.0:1.0.
The CSF-to-serum ratio of TNF-α in four of the patients who were previously treated with prednisone, thalidomide, or turmeric for “presumed autoimmune issues” was significantly lower than the other four patients who had no prior treatments (6.1:1.0 vs. 33.2:1.0).