In the News

Autistic Behaviors In Offspring Linked To Prenatal Exposure To Maternal Antibodies

Excerpt from: 12 Feb 2008
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com
and ScienceDaily, http://www.sciencedaily.com

New research from the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute shows that an interaction between fetal brain cells and maternal antibodies could be linked with the repetitive behavior - also called stereotypies - that is characteristic of autism. While additional studies are needed to confirm the outcome, this result leads investigators to suspect that brain-directed antibodies during the prenatal period could be a causal factor for the disorder.

“Dr. Van de Water’s result implicated maternal immune system factors with at least one form of autism. We wanted to take that important finding a step further and find out if IgG exposure during pregnancy could cause the kinds of changes in social interactions or behavior we see in children with autism.” David Amaral

Stereotypies and hyperactivity in rhesus monkeys exposed to IgG from mothers of children with autism. L.A. Martin, P. Ashwood, D. Braunschweig, M. Cabanlit, J. Van de Water, D.G. Amaral. Brain Behav Immun. Feb 7, 2008.

’Til Death Do Us Part

From: Scientific American Mind
February 2008 Issue, by Emily Anthes

When it comes to studying love, prairie voles, with their strong pair bonds, are the laboratory stars. Now researchers at the University of California, Davis, have established a primate model of monogamy they believe will be more relevant for uncovering the basis of human affection. The researchers used PET scans to examine brain activity in male titis, small South American monkeys that form strong relationships with their mates. They discovered that lone, unpaired male titis had strikingly different patterns of brain activity than males in long-term, monogamous partnerships did. These differences were primarily found in two brain circuits: one that is involved in reward processing and another that plays a part in social recognition. These circuits appear to be necessary for pair bonding, lead researcher Karen L. Bales says. And although the regions are also implicated in rodent models of monogamy, she believes titi monkeys will ultimately be more useful for studying human bonding and social disorders, such as autism. The scientists also studied the brains of lone males who had recently been introduced to new mates. Although the average of the monkeys’ brain activity was somewhere in between that of unpaired males and that of those in long-term partnerships, testing showed tremendous individual variation in both behavior and brain activity. “I think we can all identify with that as humans,” Bales says. “It’s not always love at first sight.”

Antibacterial Chemical Disrupts Hormone Activities

Excerpt from: December 7, 2007, UCD Dateline

A new UC Davis study shows that a common antibacterial chemical added to bath soaps can alter hormonal activity in rats and in human cells in the laboratory -- and does so by a previously unreported mechanism. Called endocrine disruptors, or endocrine disrupting substances (EDS), such chemicals have been linked in animal studies to a variety of problems, including cancer, reproductive failure and developmental anomalies.

This is the first endocrine study to investigate the hormone effects of the antibacterial compound triclocarban (also known as TCC or 3,4,4’-trichlorocarbanilide), which is widely used in household and personal care products including bar soaps, body washes, cleansing lotions, wipes and detergents. Triclocarban-containing products have been marketed broadly in the United States and Europe for more than 45 years; an estimated 1 million pounds of triclocarban are imported annually for the U.S. market.

“This finding may eventually lead to an explanation for some rises in some previously described reproductive problems that have been difficult to understand.” Dr. Bill Lasley, a UC Davis expert on reproductive toxicology and professor emeritus of veterinary medicine (CNPRC Reproductive Sciences Unit).

Consumers should not take this study as guidance on whether to use triclocarban-containing products, Lasley said. “Our mothers taught us to wash our hands well before the advent of antimicrobial soaps, and that practice alone prevents the spread of disease.”

“Triclocarban enhances testosterone action: A new type of endocrine disruptor?”, Bill Lasley, Jiangang Chen, Ki Chang Ahn, Nancy Gee, Mohamed I. Mohamed, Antoni Duleba, Ling Zhao, Shirley Gee and Bruce Hammock, Endocrinology, http://endo.endojournals.org/rep.shtml

Spotlight on Primate Research in The Lancet

John P. Capitanio’s article, Contributions of nonhuman primates to neuroscience research, was published in the March 29, 2008 issue of The Lancet (Volume 371: 1126-35). The Lancet is not only one of the oldest peer-reviewed medical journals in the world, but is considered to be a core medical journal with an international reputation for providing leading information in all aspects of medical information dissemination including editorials, book reviews, case reports, as well as original research articles.

Dr. Capitanio’s article, co-authored with Marina E. Emborg of the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, details the role of nonhuman primates in basic and translational biomedical research in neuroscience. The article notes the inroads made with regard to Alzheimer’s disease, neuroAIDS, Parkinson’s disease, and stress; conditions that warrant a whole-animal research approach. It is the similarity to humans in basic behavioral and biological processes that make nonhuman primates the animal of choice for when these whole-animal issues are addressed. The authors note that primate research is not undertaken lightly and that every effort is made to ensure that the research is necessary, beneficial, and humane.

Drs. Capitanio and Emborg note that primate research has been critical to the development of new treatments involving drugs, stem cells, and gene therapy. For example, at the CNPRC, Dr. Mark Tuszynski, who is an affiliate scientist, has been studying gene therapy in a monkey model of Alzheimer’s disease. This work, which was discussed in the article, has directly led to Phase I clinical trials in humans. Drs. Capitanio and Emborg add that nonhuman primates will continue to have a vital role in neuroscience and other research disciplines as the future unfolds. For the complete article, please see www.thelancet.com Vol 317 March 29, 2008.