Neuroinflammation, Neuroplasticity and Early Stimulation in Neurodevelopmental Disorders

A special issue of Behavioral Sciences (ISSN 2076-328X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2020) | Viewed by 25607

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Department of Experimental Medicine, Division of Biotechnology, Molecular Biology and Histology, University of Campania "L. Vanvitelli", via S. Maria di Costantinopoli 16, 80138 Naples, Italy
Interests: autism; stem cells; gene expression; neuro-immunology
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International Center for Neurological Restoration, Havana, Cuba
Interests: neuroimmunology; neurodegenerations; demyelinating diseases; Multiple Sclerosis; COVID-19 pandemic; HcoV; SARS-CoV-2; virus neuroinvasion; stem cells; neuroinflammation; neurodevelopment disorders
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the recent years, studies have increasingly indicated that several heterogeneous, age-related diseases show neuro-immune and neuro-inflammatory processes, involving many biological pathways. Strong inflammatory states are often associated with main pathologies involving neurodevelopmental disorders like autistic disorders, Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression. All these conditions are linked to an inflammatory mechanism marking the neural dysfunction.

This Special Issue covers chronic neuroimmune and neuroinflammatory diseases, involving molecular and cellular physiopathological pathways, biomarkers discovery, potential pharmacological treatments and rehabilitation in neurodevelopmental disorders, and the role of cognitive impairment and other comorbidities influencing disease progression in these disorders.

Research papers elucidating all these topics are welcomed, as well as comprehensive, state-of-the-art reviews and case reports on novel treatment options.

Prof. Dr. Dario Siniscalco
Prof. Dr. Maria de los Angeles Robinson Agramonte
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Neuroinflammation
  • Neuroimmunomodulation
  • Neural plasticity
  • Biomarker discovery
  • Gene expression
  • Exosomes and microRNA
  • Neurodevelopment and early stimulation
  • Neurodevelopment
  • Neurorehabilitation

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 1425 KiB  
Article
de novo Blood Biomarkers in Autism: Autoantibodies against Neuronal and Glial Proteins
by Mohamed B. Abou-Donia, Hagir B. Suliman, Dario Siniscalco, Nicola Antonucci, Passent ElKafrawy and Mulugu V. Brahmajothi
Behav. Sci. 2019, 9(5), 47; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs9050047 - 29 Apr 2019
Cited by 28 | Viewed by 6885
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are the most common neurodevelopmental disorders with unidentified etiology. The behavioral manifestations of ASD may be a consequence of genetic and/or environmental pathology in neurodevelopmental processes. In this limited study, we assayed autoantibodies to a panel of vital neuronal [...] Read more.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are the most common neurodevelopmental disorders with unidentified etiology. The behavioral manifestations of ASD may be a consequence of genetic and/or environmental pathology in neurodevelopmental processes. In this limited study, we assayed autoantibodies to a panel of vital neuronal and glial proteins in the sera of 40 subjects (10 children with ASD and their mothers along with 10 healthy controls, age-matched children and their mothers). Serum samples were screened using Western Blot analysis to measure immunoglobulin (IgG) reactivity against a panel of 9 neuronal proteins commonly associated with neuronal degeneration: neurofilament triplet proteins (NFP), tubulin, microtubule-associated proteins (tau), microtubule-associated protein-2 (MAP-2), myelin basic protein (MBP), myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG), α-synuclein (SNCA) and astrocytes proteins such as glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and S100B protein. Our data show that the levels of circulating IgG class autoantibodies against the nine proteins were significantly elevated in ASD children. Mothers of ASD children exhibited increased levels of autoantibodies against all panel of tested proteins except for S100B and tubulin compared to age-matched healthy control children and their mothers. Control children and their mothers showed low and insignificant levels of autoantibodies to neuronal and glial proteins. These results strongly support the importance of anti-neuronal and glial protein autoantibodies biomarker in screening for ASD children and further confirm the importance of the involvement of the maternal immune system as an index that should be considered in fetal in utero environmental exposures. More studies are needed using larger cohort to verify these results and understand the importance of the presence of such autoantibodies in children with autism and their mothers, both as biomarkers and their role in the mechanism of action of autism and perhaps in its treatment. Full article
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Review

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13 pages, 579 KiB  
Review
Speech-Stimulating Substances in Autism Spectrum Disorders
by María Andrea Castillo, Kendy Eduardo Urdaneta, Neomar Semprún-Hernández, Anna Lisa Brigida, Nicola Antonucci, Stephen Schultz and Dario Siniscalco
Behav. Sci. 2019, 9(6), 60; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs9060060 - 12 Jun 2019
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 18074
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by the core domains of persistent deficits in social communication and restricted-repetitive patterns of behaviors, interests, or activities. A heterogeneous and complex set of neurodevelopmental conditions are grouped in the spectrum. Pro-inflammatory events and immune system dysfunctions [...] Read more.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by the core domains of persistent deficits in social communication and restricted-repetitive patterns of behaviors, interests, or activities. A heterogeneous and complex set of neurodevelopmental conditions are grouped in the spectrum. Pro-inflammatory events and immune system dysfunctions are cellular and molecular events associated with ASD. Several conditions co-occur with ASD: seizures, gastro-intestinal problems, attention deficit, anxiety and depression, and sleep problems. However, language and speech issues are key components of ASD symptoms current therapies find difficult to face. Several speech-stimulating substances have been shown to be effective in increasing speech ability in ASD subjects. The need for large clinical trials to determine safety and efficacy is recommended. Full article
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