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MORPHOLOGICAL AND FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OF THE BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER IN AUTISM

https://doi.org/10.20340/mv-mn.2026.34(2).1032

Abstract

INTRODUCTION. Autism is a complex complex diagnosis caused by impaired development of the nervous system, characterized by a persistent deficit of social communication and social interaction in various contexts. According to statistics, the prevalence of autism has increased over the past few decades. This state of affairs makes it necessary for scientists to study the factors of autism in more detail. Despite the importance of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), its mechanobiology in autism remains the focus of research. The systematization of this knowledge will allow us to improve innovative approaches to further study of this disorder for better diagnosis and individual approach to patients with autism in clinical practice.
OBJECTIVE to analyze the modern scientific literature devoted to the study of the morphofunctional features of BBB in autism in order to systematize the accumulated knowledge and understanding the etiopathogenetic nuances of this disease.
MATERIALS AND METHODS. The information for the creation of this review was searched through the scientific literature databases of the library eLibrary, Google Scholar, PubMed and Springer Nature.
Results and discussion. The issue of morphofunctional changes in the blood-brain barrier in autism is considered. The analyzed publications show that multifactorial changes have been established in various functional links of the blood-brain barrier. Among many others, the most important are endothelial damage, systemic neuroinflammation with massive release of inflammatory mediators, oxidative stress, neurovascular damage, and migration of immune cells.
CONCLUSION. When analyzing the sources of scientific literature, it becomes obvious that significant progress has been made in knowledge about changes and dysfunction of the BBB in the role of the etiopathogenesis of autism. The systematization and structuring of the scientific data obtained made it possible to establish complex multifactorial changes in various functional links of the BBB. Undoubtedly, BBB in autism is characterized by reduced selectivity, but along with this, violations of intercellular contacts in endothelial cells, dysfunction of astroglia and microglia, as well as the lack of constant supply of essential amino acids from the periphery to the brain tissues were revealed.

About the Authors

A. A. Balandin
Academician Vagner Perm State Medical University
Russian Federation

Anatoliy A. Balandin, Doctor of Medical Science

Perm


Competing Interests:

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest in the planning, implementation, financing and use of the results of this study



A. S. Kobeleva
Academician Vagner Perm State Medical University
Russian Federation

Anna S. Kobeleva

Perm


Competing Interests:

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest in the planning, implementation, financing and use of the results of this study



I. A. Balandina
Academician Vagner Perm State Medical University
Russian Federation

Irina A. Balandina, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor

Perm


Competing Interests:

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest in the planning, implementation, financing and use of the results of this study



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Balandin A.A., Kobeleva A.S., Balandina I.A. MORPHOLOGICAL AND FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OF THE BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER IN AUTISM. Morphological newsletter. 2026;34(2):41-48. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.20340/mv-mn.2026.34(2).1032

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