Baby teeth show immune clues to autism risk, opening early detection path
Researchers identified inflammatory markers in deciduous teeth that distinguish children with autism spectrum disorder, suggesting teeth could serve as a non-invasive screening tool. The finding could enable earlier diagnosis and intervention, with implications for pediatric healthcare systems and diagnostic companies developing new ASD screening methods.
Originaltitel: Article Deciduous tooth biomarkers reveal atypical fetal inflammatory regulation in autism spectrum disorder
<p>Atypical regulation of inflammation has been proposed in the etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD); however, measuring the temporal profile of fetal inflammation associated with future ASD diagnosis has not been possible. Here, we present a method to generate approximately daily profiles of prenatal and early childhood inflammation as measured by developmentally archived C-reactive protein (CRP) in incremental layers of deciduous tooth dentin. In our discovery population, a group of Swedish twins, we found heightened inflammation in the third trimester in children with future ASD diagnosis relative to controls (n = 66; 14 ASD cases; critical window: -90 to -50 days before birth). In our replication study, in the US, we observed a similar increase in CRP in ASD cases during the third trimester (n = 47; 23 ASD cases; -128 to -21 days before birth). Our results indicate that the third trimester is a critical period of atypical fetal inflammatory regulation in ASD.</p>