Amelioration of Autism by Autologous Bone Marrow Mononuclear Cells and Neurorehabilitation: A Case Report

Alok Sharma¹, Nandini Gokulchandran¹, Hemangi Sane², Avantika Patil^2, , Akshata Shetty³, Hema Biju³, Pooja Kulkarni² and Prerna Badhe¹

¹Department of Medical Services & Clinical Research, NeuroGen Brain and Spine Institute, Navi Mumbai, India

²Department of Research & Development, NeuroGen Brain and Spine Institute, Navi Mumbai, India

³Department of NeuroRehabilitation, NeuroGen Brain and Spine Institute, Navi Mumbai, India

Cite this paper

Alok Sharma, Nandini Gokulchandran, Hemangi Sane, Avantika Patil, Akshata Shetty, Hema Biju, Pooja Kulkarni and Prerna Badhe. Amelioration of Autism by Autologous Bone Marrow Mononuclear Cells and Neurorehabilitation: A Case Report. American Journal of Medical Case Reports. 2015; 3(10):304-309. doi: 10.12691/AJMCR-3-10-1

Abstract

Autism is a clinically and etiologically heterogeneous disorder characterized by deficits in social interaction, communication, behavior and cognitive skills. The etiological basis of autism still remains poorly understood despite several attempts to decipher its neuropathology from different perspectives. Presently available treatment modalities address only limited autism-associated symptoms and are at best palliative. In this report, we present the case of a 7 year old boy with autism treated with intrathecal administration of autologous bone marrow derived mononuclear cells (BMMNCs). On regular follow ups conducted at 3 and 6 months post-treatment, clinically significant behavioral, social, communication and cognitive improvements were reported. These findings were well supported by objective improvements on the Indian Scale of Assessment of Autism (ISAA), Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), Clinical Global Impression (CGI) and Pediatric Functional Independence Measure (WeeFIM). The ISAA score improved from 131 to 112, CARS improved significantly from 40.5 (severely autistic) to 32 (mild to moderate autism), along with an improved WeeFIM score from 31 to 36. Severity of illness on CGI (CGI I) changed from 4 (moderately ill) to 3 (mildly ill). Global improvement on CGI (CGI II) was measured at a score of 2 (much improved), along with an efficacy index (CGI III) of 5 showing moderate therapeutic effect. No adverse events were reported throughout the course of the treatment. Through this case report, we demonstrate that treatment with autologous BMMNCs is safe, feasible and has the potential to ameliorate autism.

Keywords

autism, cell therapy, autologous, bone marrow, mononuclear cells, neurodevelopmental disorder

Copyright

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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