Therapeutic and diagnostic methods for autism spectrum disorders and other conditions

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of autism. More specifically, the present invention provides methods for treating individuals with autism spectrum disorders. The present invention also provides methods for predicting a likelihood of ASD. In one embodiment, a method for treating a female patient having a high risk factor of having children with ASD comprises the steps of (a) identifying in a sample taken from the female patient the presence of AT-1 antibodies; and (b) administering an effective amount of an AT-1 inhibitor or inhibitor of AT-1 antibodies to the female patient.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A method of screening a female patient for a high risk of having children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) comprising the steps of:
 a. obtaining a sample from the female patient;   b. detecting the presence of antibodies specific for angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT-1) in the sample; and   c. identifying the female patients as having a high risk of having children with ASD if the AT-1 antibodies are present.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the female patient is pregnant. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the female patient is not pregnant. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the detecting step is performed using mass spectrometry. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the detecting step comprises the steps of:
 a. contacting the sample obtained from the female patient with an AT-1 polypeptide; and   b. detecting the binding of the AT-1 polypeptide with the AT-1 antibodies, wherein the detection of binding id indicative of the presence of AT-1 antibodies in the sample.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the binding is detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunoprecipitation or immunoblotting. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising the step of administering to the female patient an effective amount of an AT-1 inhibitor or an inhibitor of the AT-1 antibodies. 
     
     
         8 . A method of screening a female patient for a high risk of having children with ASD comprising the steps of:
 a. obtaining a sample from the female patient;   b. detecting the presence of antibodies specific for angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT-1) in the sample using an immunoassay or mass spectrometry; and   c. identifying the female patients as having a high risk of having children with ASD if the AT-1 antibodies are present.   
     
     
         9 . A method for treating a female patient having a high risk factor of having children with ASD comprising the steps of:
 a. identifying in a sample taken from the female patient the presence of AT-1 antibodies; and   b. administering an effective amount of an AT-1 inhibitor or inhibitor of AT-1 antibodies to the female patient.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the female patient is pregnant. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the ASD is selected from the group consisting of autism, Asperger's disorder, pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), Rett's syndrome and childhood disintegrative disorder. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the AT-1 inhibitor or inhibitor of AT-1 antibodies is an inhibitor selected from the group consisting of a small molecule, an antibody, an aptamer, and an inhibitory nucleic acid molecule. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the inhibitor is a small molecule. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the small molecule is Telmisartan. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising administering an effective amount of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the SSRI is fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, paroxetine, sertraline or mianserin. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the SSRI is paroxetine. 
     
     
         18 . A method for treating a female patient having a high risk factor of having children with ASD comprising the step of administering an effective amount of an AT-1 inhibitor to the patient, wherein the female patient has AT-1 antibodies present in her blood. 
     
     
         19 . A method for treating a female patient having a high risk factor of having children with ASD comprising the steps of:
 a. identifying in a sample taken from the female patient the presence of AT-1 antibodies; and   b. performing plasmaphoresis or immunophoresis on the female patient to remove the AT-1 antibodies.   
     
     
         20 . A method for treating or preventing the development of ASD in an infant comprising the step of administering an effective amount of AT-1 inhibitor or inhibitor of AT-1 antibodies. 
     
     
         21 . A method for treating a patient having an ASD comprising the step of administering to the patient an effective amount of an AT-1 inhibitor or inhibitor of AT-1 antibodies.