Autism

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) comprises three developmental disorders: autism, pervasive developmental disorder–not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) and Asperger Disorder, which are generally viewed as sharing common symptoms and etiology. Autism is the most prevalent ASD, characterized by impairments in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, and repetitive, obsessive behavior. Autism typically appears before the age of three and is four times more likely to occur in boys than girls. Many regions of the brain have been implicated in the genesis of autism, but the neurobiological basis of the disorder remains poorly understood. It has been shown in international publications that genetic and environmental factors have an important role.

One of the difficulties in treating autism is that we do not know the exact cause, making it difficult to target through therapy and medication. However, this is one of the greatest benefits of stem cell transplants. Stem cells do not need to be guided once injected into the body. They naturally gravitate toward the correct areas of the body that need healing and apply the appropriate treatment.

Additionally, people with ASD have been shown to have abnormal immune systems, and it is believed that the immunomodulatory effects of stem cells are part of what makes stem cell therapy for autism effective. Mesenchymal stem cells also can create what is called a paracrine effect, in which donor stem cells signal or communicate to other stem cells what needs to be done in the body.

This can allow the patient’s own cells to heal the body without help from the donor stem cells, meaning that even after the donor cells have died, healing can still take place through a patient’s own stem cells.

Science and still does not know the exact cause of autism, though it is believed to have more than one cause, and those causes could be genetic or environmental.

There is no cure for autism, as it is essentially developed and structured in a way that is different from the average brain. However, stem cell treatment for autism using umbilical cord blood stem cells can improve some symptoms such as social interaction skills, learning ability, and speech.

Recent studies have been revealing that pathologies such as hypoperfusion to the brain and immune dysregulation are playing an important role in autism . From our experience, the administration of CD34+ umbilical cord blood derived stem cells (UCBSC) and umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UCMSC) have been proving to be useful to treat these pathologies.

In numerous studies the areas affected by hypo-perfusion seem to correlate with regions of the brain that are responsible for functionalities that are abnormal in autism. It has been investigated that transplantation of UCBSC stem cells can induce neovascularization, ultimately leading to functional improvement. Besides, umbilical cord blood contains high numbers of CD34+ endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), which can give rise to mature endothelial cells and induce angiogenesis in ischemic tissues. Finally umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells may have immunosuppressive and immunomodulatory effects, which can be beneficial for the autoimmune-like status of autism.

Thus far, there is no cure for autism. Current available treatments for autism can be divided into behavioral, nutritional and medical approaches, but all of these therapeutic effects are limited. Numerous clinical trials have been conducted around different medical practices such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), administration of zinc and prescription of anti-inflammatory drugs. There is however no clear understanding of the causes of autism, and as a result different strategies are being tried with varying degrees of success.