Figure 1.
Reactivity of maternal IgG against human fetal brain proteins is illustrated by western blot. Depicted are representative samples from the mothers of children with autism (AU) demonstrating typical patterns of reactivity against human fetal brain extract. Shown are the predominant bands at 73 kDa (upper arrows), 37 kDa (middle AU strip) and the 73 and 37 kDa (upper and lower arrows) bands, which are most specific for a diagnosis of autism. Plasma from three representative mothers of typically developing children from the general population lacks a response to human fetal brain. Similarly, the mothers of children with developmental delay but not autism (DD) do not express reactivity to the proteins recognized by the mothers of AU children.