Inflammation is a vital process that protects the body against all kinds of toxic, harmful, and threatening factors, such as injury, toxic substances, and infections. Inflammation removes pathogens and damaged cells and is necessary for the healing process. In the brain, too, inflammation is a necessary protective mechanism. Once the damage has been repaired or the pathogen has been eliminated, the inflammation is resolved.
When the harmful factors cannot be removed, or the inflammation is not resolved, an acute inflammation can develop into a chronic inflammation that can last for weeks, months, or even years. Chronic inflammation causes damage to brain cells and can impair all brain functions.
The key factor in autism
Inflammation in the brain is the key factor in autism (Siniscalco D, 2018; Kern JK, 2016). It is involved in all the processes in the brain that go wrong or do not function properly. Inflammation also forms a link between all underlying disorders seen in autism, such as a dysregulated immune system, allergies, autoimmune diseases, an imbalanced gut flora, a leaky gut, too many toxic substances, and an excessively high blood sugar level. These are all conditions that can cause or maintain inflammation in the brain. Inflammation is the common thread that connects all aspects of autism.
References
- Kern JK, Geier DA, Sykes LK, et al. Relevance of Neuroinflammation and Encephalitis in Autism. Front Cell Neurosci. 2016 Jan 19;9:519. doi: 10.3389/fncel.2015.00519. PMID: 26834565; PMCID: PMC4717322.
- Siniscalco D, Schultz S, Brigida AL, Antonucci N. Inflammation and Neuro-Immune Dysregulations in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2018 Jun 4;11(2):56. doi: 10.3390/ph11020056. PMID: 29867038; PMCID: PMC6027314.
