Dr. Theoharis “Allergic-like” Symptoms, Brain Inflammation, and Autism

Children with ASD often present with symptoms, including food allergies and food intolerance, but often without positive skin or blood RAST tests, suggesting mast cell activation by non-allergic triggers. Moreover, children with mastocytosis, a spectrum of diseases (www.tsmforacure.org) that present with skin allergies, diarrhea, learning disabilities, hyperactivity and difficulty focusing, reminiscent of ASD have a 10-fold higher prevalence of ASD (1/10) than the children reported for the general population.  A number of papers have suggested that ASD may be associated with some immune dysfunction. However, only a few studies investigated biomarkers in ASD. We show that the peptide neurotensin (NT) is increased in the serum of children with autism. NT was originally isolated from the brain, but is present also in the gastrointestinal tract.  NT can induce intestinal inflammation, stimulate lymphocyte proliferation, activate T cells, is also a potent trigger of mast cells, and acts synergistically to mimic brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is neuroprotective.

Theoharis Theoharides, MD, PhD is a professor of pharmacology, Internal Medicine and Biochemistry, and the director of the Laboratory of Molecular Immunopharmacology and Drug Discovery; Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Tufts University School of Medicine. He trained in allergy and clinical immunology at Yale and internal medicine at New England Medical Center. Dr. Theoharides was director of medical pharmacology at Tufts (1986-1993), and became full professor in 1995. He has 300 publications and 3 books, including a Textbook of Pharmacology. Dr. Theoharides was the first to show mast cells and acute stress promote inflammation in autism, cancer, interstitial cystitis, migraines and multiple sclerosis. 

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