New corroborating research on PANDAS

[Guest guest]

Don't know if this has been posted here yet.

(Brief update I am still seeking an appropriate placement for my 12 yr old son

(OCD, sid, and selective mutism/social anxiety) and will be enrolling him again

in private-pay learning center b/c we are not approving of the current district

placement offer-another behavioral school too far away).

nancy grace

http://www.cnsfoundation.org/site/News2?news_iv_ctrl=-1 & page=NewsArticle & id=8771\

& autologin=true

(From Children's Neurobiological Solutions website):

Antibodies to strep throat bacteria linked to obsessive compulsive disorder in

mice

Study provides new insights into identifying children at risk for autoimmune

brain disorders

August 11, 2009

Source: Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health

A new study by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public

Health's Center for Infection and Immunity indicates that pediatric

obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Tourette syndrome and/or tic disorder may

develop from an inappropriate immune response to the bacteria causing common

throat infections. The mouse model findings, published online by Nature

Publishing Group in this week's Molecular Psychiatry, support the view that this

condition is a distinct disorder, and represent a key advance in tracing the

path leading from an ordinary infection in childhood to the surfacing of a

psychiatric syndrome. The research provides new insights into identifying

children at risk for autoimmune brain disorders and suggests potential avenues

for treatment.

OCD and tic disorders affect a significant portion of the population. More than

25% of adults and over 3% of children manifest some features of these disorders.

Until now, scientists have been unable to convincingly document the association

between the appearance of antibodies directed against Group A beta-hemolytic

streptoccoccus (GABHS) in peripheral blood and the onset of the behavioral and

motor aspects of the disorder. As a result, treatment strategies were restricted

to targeting symptoms rather than causes.

Strep throat bacteria, or GABHS, are known to cause autoimmune disorders such as

Sydenham chorea, with symptoms such as fever and uncontrolled tics of the face

or extremities in susceptible individuals, prompting some scientists to suspect

that GABHS could play a role in a syndrome known as Pediatric Autoimmune

Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections (PANDAS), a

rapid-onset and episodic form of OCD and tic disorders observed in some

children. The latest study by CII researchers supports the hypothesis that some

neuropsychiatric syndromes may be triggered by direct action of GABHS-associated

antibodies on the brain. Whether environmental factors other than GABHS can lead

to similar effects is as yet unknown.

Using a mouse model of PANDAS, Mady Hornig, MD, associate professor of

epidemiology at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, and

colleagues demonstrate this suspected link between GABHS antibodies and the

psychiatric symptoms of the disorder. Immunizing mice with an inactivated form

of the bacteria, CII researchers found that the mice exhibited repetitive

behaviors reminiscent of children with PANDAS. Injection of antibodies from the

immunized mice into the bloodstream of non-immunized mice replicated these

behaviors.

" These findings illustrate that antibodies alone are sufficient to trigger this

behavioral syndrome, " said Dr. Hornig. " Our findings in this animal model

support and may explain results of Swedo and colleagues in treating children

with PANDAS using plasmapheresis or intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg). They may

also have implications for understanding, preventing or treating other disorders

potentially linked to autoimmunity, including autism spectrum, mood,

attentional, learning, and eating disorders. "

" This work provides strong corroboration for a link between exposure to

infection, development of an autoimmune response, and the onset of repetitive

behaviors and deficits in attention, learning, and social interaction, " says CII

Director W. Ian Lipkin, MD, Snow Professor of Epidemiology, and professor

of Neurology and Pathology at Columbia University. " Further investigations in

this strep-triggered, autoimmune mouse model of PANDAS will promote the

discovery of more effective interventions for these disabling disorders and

guide the development of robust prevention strategies. "

[Guest guest]

Hi Grace, I'm so sorry you are still having such problems with a good

placement for your son! Is he getting discouraged about it all? Or, as some

kids may, is he just hoping he can skip school or you just go back to

homeschooling?

>

> Don't know if this has been posted here yet.

>

> (Brief update I am still seeking an appropriate placement for my 12 yr old son

(OCD, sid, and selective mutism/social anxiety) and will be enrolling him again

in private-pay learning center b/c we are not approving of the current district

placement offer-another behavioral school too far away).

> nancy grace

>

>

>

http://www.cnsfoundation.org/site/News2?news_iv_ctrl=-1 & page=NewsArticle & id=8771\

& autologin=true

>

>

> (From Children's Neurobiological Solutions website):

>

> Antibodies to strep throat bacteria linked to obsessive compulsive disorder in

mice

> Study provides new insights into identifying children at risk for autoimmune

brain disorders

>

> August 11, 2009

> Source: Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health

>

> A new study by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public

Health's Center for Infection and Immunity indicates that pediatric

obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Tourette syndrome and/or tic disorder may

develop from an inappropriate immune response to the bacteria causing common

throat infections. The mouse model findings, published online by Nature

Publishing Group in this week's Molecular Psychiatry, support the view that this

condition is a distinct disorder, and represent a key advance in tracing the

path leading from an ordinary infection in childhood to the surfacing of a

psychiatric syndrome. The research provides new insights into identifying

children at risk for autoimmune brain disorders and suggests potential avenues

for treatment.

>

> OCD and tic disorders affect a significant portion of the population. More

than 25% of adults and over 3% of children manifest some features of these

disorders. Until now, scientists have been unable to convincingly document the

association between the appearance of antibodies directed against Group A

beta-hemolytic streptoccoccus (GABHS) in peripheral blood and the onset of the

behavioral and motor aspects of the disorder. As a result, treatment strategies

were restricted to targeting symptoms rather than causes.

>

> Strep throat bacteria, or GABHS, are known to cause autoimmune disorders such

as Sydenham chorea, with symptoms such as fever and uncontrolled tics of the

face or extremities in susceptible individuals, prompting some scientists to

suspect that GABHS could play a role in a syndrome known as Pediatric Autoimmune

Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections (PANDAS), a

rapid-onset and episodic form of OCD and tic disorders observed in some

children. The latest study by CII researchers supports the hypothesis that some

neuropsychiatric syndromes may be triggered by direct action of GABHS-associated

antibodies on the brain. Whether environmental factors other than GABHS can lead

to similar effects is as yet unknown.

>

> Using a mouse model of PANDAS, Mady Hornig, MD, associate professor of

epidemiology at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, and

colleagues demonstrate this suspected link between GABHS antibodies and the

psychiatric symptoms of the disorder. Immunizing mice with an inactivated form

of the bacteria, CII researchers found that the mice exhibited repetitive

behaviors reminiscent of children with PANDAS. Injection of antibodies from the

immunized mice into the bloodstream of non-immunized mice replicated these

behaviors.

>

> " These findings illustrate that antibodies alone are sufficient to trigger

this behavioral syndrome, " said Dr. Hornig. " Our findings in this animal model

support and may explain results of Swedo and colleagues in treating children

with PANDAS using plasmapheresis or intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg). They may

also have implications for understanding, preventing or treating other disorders

potentially linked to autoimmunity, including autism spectrum, mood,

attentional, learning, and eating disorders. "

>

> " This work provides strong corroboration for a link between exposure to

infection, development of an autoimmune response, and the onset of repetitive

behaviors and deficits in attention, learning, and social interaction, " says CII

Director W. Ian Lipkin, MD, Snow Professor of Epidemiology, and professor

of Neurology and Pathology at Columbia University. " Further investigations in

this strep-triggered, autoimmune mouse model of PANDAS will promote the

discovery of more effective interventions for these disabling disorders and

guide the development of robust prevention strategies. "

>