OF THE
TIMES
"...open possibilities for understanding the dynamic changes in the brain. Although they may lend themselves to the development of new medical treatments for autism, much more research is needed."Pardo and fellow researchers conducted post-mortem examinations of the brains of 11 people with autism aged from five to 44, who had died in accidents. Specifically, they found that proteins called cytokines and chemokines were present in higher amounts than in those of normal controls, which indicated inflammation. Professor Pardo related, '"This ongoing inflammatory process was present in different areas of the brain ... The pattern of cellular and protein findings indicate they are part of the innate immune system in the brain and do not appear to be caused by immune abnormalities from outside the brain." All of this research can be found online in the Annals of Neurology. Most of the information cited from the Annals article can be seen here.
"The 1998 study by Dr. Wakefield ... and 12 other doctors claimed to have found a new bowel disease, autism enterocolitis ... This is the second independent study to back up Dr. Wakefield."Sources: