Understanding Biomarkers in Autism - Tanja Mijatovic, PhD (R.E.D. Laboratories)

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are complex, and severe heterogeneous neurodevelopmental pathologies with accepted, but complex immune system abnormalities. Several dysregulated biochemical pathways and physiological observations have been associated with ASD including oxidative stress; endoplasmic reticulum stress; decreased methylation capacity; limited production of glutathione; mitochondrial dysfunction; intestinal permeability and dysbiosis; increased toxic metal burden; immune dysregulation; cytokine overproduction; endocannabinoid system dysregulation; and neuron-glia cross talk imbalance. In light of this, an increasing number of practitioners are adopting a biomedical approach for managing their patients with ASD. Diagnostic testing for immune parameters such as cytokine expression, metagenomic analysis of intestinal microbiota, and screening for different chronic infections, such as mycoplasmas and tick-borne pathogens are becoming routine. However, at this time, few publications exist that articulate the utility of these diagnostics. The primary source of information available to the healthcare practitioner is primarily conferences-related communications. The purpose of the present video is to raise awareness about the involvement of different inflammation processes in ASD and the need to assess them as a part of biomedical evaluation.