Thanks (and to everyone) for hard questions and provocative commentary. Keep it coming.

I’ve seen some animal based research indicating that anti MIF substances were quite effective at amelioriating the progression of inflammatory or auto immune disorders. In particular, I saw one wherein researchers were able to keep animals from getting type 1 diabetes through interfering with MIF. [The animals were also dosed with a chemical known to cause type 1 diabetes, and compared to a control group who got nothing to interfere with MIF]

I couldn’t find much showing if such therapies had been tried on humans yet; though the promise of such therapies is mentioned in several abstracts I read.

- pD

OBJECTIVE. Autistic spectrum disorders are childhood neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by social and communicative impairment and repetitive and stereotypical behavior. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is an upstream regulator of innate immunity that promotes monocyte/macrophage-activation responses by increasing the expression of Toll-like receptors and inhibiting activation-induced apoptosis. On the basis of results of previous genetic linkage studies and reported altered innate immune response in autism spectrum disorder, we hypothesized that MIF could represent a candidate gene for autism spectrum disorder or its diagnostic components.

METHODS. Genetic association between autism spectrum disorder and MIF was investigated in 2 independent sets of families of probands with autism spectrum disorder, from the United States (527 participants from 152 families) and Holland (532 participants from 183 families). Probands and their siblings, when available, were evaluated with clinical instruments used for autism spectrum disorder diagnoses. Genotyping was performed for 2 polymorphisms in the promoter region of the MIF gene in both samples sequentially. In addition, MIF plasma analyses were conducted in a subset of Dutch patients from whom plasma was available.

RESULTS. There were genetic associations between known functional polymorphisms in the promoter for MIF and autism spectrum disorder–related behaviors. Also, probands with autism spectrum disorder exhibited higher circulating MIF levels than did their unaffected siblings, and plasma MIF concentrations correlated with the severity of multiple autism spectrum disorder symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS. These results identify MIF as a possible susceptibility gene for autism spectrum disorder. Additional research is warranted on the precise relationship between MIF and the behavioral components of autism spectrum disorder, the mechanism by which MIF contributes to autism spectrum disorder pathogenesis, and the clinical use of MIF genotyping.

@Jerry, my grandfather owned a place in Santa Cruz once upon a time……..

Thank you for your post on Macrophage Inhibitory Factor.I did not realize there was a connection to autism,but here it is : http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/122/2/e438?rss=1 This appears to be a very recent finding.

For me this is very applicable,and explains a lot.I have a form of autism,that basically is what someone with classical Kanner autism would be like if they were verbal.In addition to the (autoimmune?) meningitis,I have rheumatic heart disease,and arthritis,inflammatory bowel disease (my mother and sister have this too) ,recurring labyrinthitis,and a past history of Children’s Interstitial Lung Disease.

It also explains why those with Asperger’s do not have such conditions.I have been soundly ridiculed in the past,at message boards,like Wrong Planet,and Aspies For Freedom,when I have suggested that:

1)Based on my own experiences,there is obviously a connection between autism,and systemic autoimmune diseases.

2)This is a big part of autism,and yet another reason,why autism is nothing to celebrate.

The neurodiversity/autism pride movement,is run by “aspies”,and not by parents of severely autistic children.And many of these are self diagnosed.Their picture of autism is a one sided one,based entirely on themselves,and those like them.

This is BIIIG news!!! I can’t believeit wasn’t blasted all over the news when it came out.

Is there a blood test for levels of Macrophage Inhibitory Factor ?

But do all autistic children then have different reactions to a vaccine (or any immune stimulus)?

Likely not; but we all understand that autism is a very heterogeneous set of behaviors and physiological symptoms. If you have increased MIF, then yes, and we do know that having MIF promoter polymorphisms is associated with an autism diagnosis.

If we were to for some reason only focus on things that were common to everyone with autism, we wouldn’t have very much to focus on at all. Our imprecise ability to classify autism and resultant mish mash of a spectrum has caused this; continuing to treat all autism as the same is a black hole.

There is a paper involving stimulation of toll like receptors with agonists and several phenotypes of autism. What was observed is that children who had sufferered recurrent ear aches, and had been observed to regress following infection displayed abnormal ctyokine responses. To my mind, this is unsurprizing.

Evaluation of atopy and immune functions in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD): Identification of an ASD subset with distinct clinical and immunological findings

Not linking due to spam filter concerns.

- pD

I don’t think most people realize the extent of the zealotry,and yes,madness the “mercury moms” exhibit.This would include families of seriously autistic children.I don’t know if anybody has put forth the notion,that if these kids are autistic.it’s because the parents because the parents have either Asperger’s, Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder, and/or mild schizophrenia. Not because of any vaccines.

These people use a lot of buzzwords.One of these,is “biomedical”.When I first came across this,I naively thought it had to do with treatment for autistics, like me,who also happened to have comorbid neurological,and especially systemic autoimmune diseases.Boy was I mistaken.How common is this anyway?Are there a lot of kids with autism,that also have diseases like juvenile arthritis,or lupus ?I have never seen anything about this specifically.More studies that could not be done,because research dollars were going into disproving this vaccine garbage.

I am convinced there are immune triggers for autism,especially,if,as I did,you have a severe brain infection,in the first 18 months of life.I have had a number of bouts of acute bacterial meningitis.The first of these was when I was 5-8 months old,and spent two months in the hospital.

Has anybody looked into just how many of these allegedly vaccine damaged children,are enduring this horrendous treatment,just for mild Asperger’s ?

Seriously, though, autism research, or lack of it, suffered for so long with nearly total reliance on anecdotal information, that when something relative to hardcore science came out, we were all hoping it would give us an answer, maybe even The Answer. When it just provided us with another puzzle piece, but not the puzzle into which it might fit, people felt compelled to place blame either way. I agree that it takes up a disproportionate amount of time in the big picture discussion. It gets more attention, though, due to it being an area of Public Health that directly, potentially, affects everyone’s kids. It’s not like debating gluten free diets, or Vitamin B6, or some educational method. No one wants to be blamed for an outbreak of something. Maybe this is something that needs to be shelved. I think parents should make their decisions, knowing the potential consequences, without us passing judgment on each other.

One truth is that people do want to know the cause for autism; another is that we need and want to help kids learn and grow, and pour more energy into concerns about school and education.

@pD, here’s the link. — But do all autistic children then have different reactions to a vaccine (or any immune stimulus)?

@Hilary, I’m originally from northern California—-Berkeley and Oakland—and still know may a “hyper hippy parent”—–nothing beats a little learning, whether to read or bike ride or play the piano!

Sorry for the run-on paragraph, but isn’t there enough polarization in the world? We so easily fall into areas of belief that are already safe for us. It makes us feel more sure of what we’re doing and that we’ve done enough, and perhaps we really have. But let’s please avoid the name calling and stereotyping, as I hope I have.