Plumbing the link between anti-CASPR2 antibodies and autism; and more

Deep dive: Maternal antibodies that target a protein called CASPR2 are linked to autism, according to previous research. Two new papers offer deeper insight into that connection. One found that in-utero exposure to anti-CASPR2 antibodies leads to a decrease in both parvalbumin-positive interneurons and inhibitory synapses in the hippocampus in male mice. The other investigated novel variants of anti-CASPR2 antibodies—ones that recognize different epitopes of the protein, which resulted in a range of behavioral phenotypes in male mice. The Transmitter has covered previous work on anti-CASPR2 antibodies.

More autism research we spotted: 

• “Autism-associated SCN2A haploinsufficiency disrupts in vivo dendritic signaling and impairs flexible decision-making” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
• “Cross-setting replication of the associations between maternal health and autism” Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry