Erythrocyte Shape Abnormalities, Membrane Oxidative Damage, and β-Actin Alterations: An Unrecognized Triad in Classical Autism
Figure 1
Abnormal erythrocyte shapes in classical autism at the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). (a): normal discocyte shape; (b) to (g): main shape-altered RBCs observed in autistic patients; (h): healthy controls; (i): a typical morphological pattern in nonautistic neurodevelopmental disorders (NA-NDDs); (j): typical picture in an autistic patient with predominant elliptocytosis. Symbols indicate intermediate-shaped RBCs: the arrow indicates a disco-echinocyte shape, while the arrowhead indicates the presence of a knizo-echinocyte shape in autistic patients, bars correspond to 2 μm in (a) to (g) upper panels and to 10 μm in the (h), (i), and (j) lower panels.
