New research shows that exposure to the industrial byproduct TCDD in utero could cause the brain’s immune system to go array later in life, damaging important brain circuits, and potentially giving rise to neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism and ADHD. TCDD is primarily released into the environment by vehicle exhaust and burning wood and low levels of the toxin are found in air, soil, and food. The most common way people are exposed is through meat, dairy, and fish.
In the same study, recently published in the journal Brain,
Behavior, and Immunity, researchers also found that pharmacological
manipulation could restore the function of microglia, important cells in the
brain’s immune system. “This suggests that defects in microglia function
resulting from prenatal exposures can be reversed later in life, indicating a
possible additional therapeutic avenue for neurodevelopmental disorders,” said
Rebecca Lowery, Ph.D., assistant research professor in the Del Monte Institute
for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester, and co-first author of the
study.
The research, which was conducted in mice, showed that when
the brains of males were exposed to TCDD in utero, it caused inflammation which
cause microglia to go array when responding to injury. While the microglia
themselves appeared healthy, the cells became over activated while responding
to injury in a way that could damage important brain circuits. But
investigators found that by using the drug Pexidartinib (PLX3397) they could
‘shut-off’ the hyper-responsive microglia and those were replaced by new
microglia that functioned normally.
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