The Detection of Fetal Brain Neuroantigens in the Maternal Blood 241Is There Any Evidence of a Link Between Synthetic
Chemicals Exposure, Neurotoxicity, and Autoimmunity?
There is a large body of evidence that supports the notion that there is direct
link between neuromodifying, androgenic or androgen receptor (AR) mimicking
chemicals, the immune system of pregnant women and anti‐brain antibodies
with autism spectrum disorders (reviewed in Refs [13] [14]).
In the following section we will summarize some the most prominent exam
ples of such scientific evidence.
The Relationship between Autoimmunity and ASD Contents ix
As we have hypothesized, there are five points of interest that relate to ASD,
maternal antibodies, and neural antigens released from the developing fetal
brain. Autism shares many of the commonly recognized characteristics of
autoimmune disorders. There is a strong family tendency of ASD, suggesting
a link between potential immune disorders and children with autistic traits.
It should be emphasized that every family has a specific environment the family
clusters around and environmental factors can increase or contribute to the
risk of developing a neurodevelopmental disorder. Most importantly, one
should look at the 1:5 male gender bias in ASD. Interestingly, endocrine
disrupting chemicals (EDCs) described in detail in Chapter 7 can shed a light
on this gender bias. A large percentage of EDCs affect male hormones more
than the female hormones, and exposure to those EDCs may be the main
cause of gender disparity. The epidemiological links between autoimmunity
and ASD are persuasive. In the following section, we will detail some of the
links between ASD and maternal antibodies to the neuroantigens, as well as
autoimmunity to numerous other neurodevelopmental disorders that are
considered genetic in origin.
The Detection of Fetal Brain Neuroantigens in the Maternal Blood
in the Maternal Blood
As we have already pointed out, development of anti‐brain antibodies would
be unusual and unlikely in normal circumstances and would defy the evolu
tionary role of placental life forms to protect their fetuses from any kind of
damage. However, we link the rising pandemic of autism to the invasion of
chemicals, especially EDCs, into our daily life. These chemicals are responsible
for the brain injuries that perturb normal brain development and most likely
are responsible for leakage of neuroantigens into the maternal circulation.