Fetal antigenicity and maternal immunoreactivity. Factors in mental retardation.

The IMRT draws from a diverse array of sources to present a possible etiology for many cases of neurodevelopmental impairment. It is concerned with the problems of selective male affliction, maternal insufficiency, the structure of sex differences, and negative parity effects on intellectual development. The strongest appeal of the theory lies neither in its internal consistency nor in its success in bringing together obscure and seemingly unrelated findings, but rather in its ability to engender testable hypotheses. Many of these are affirmed in the literature or by preliminary investigations derived from existing data. The theory suggests two interesting routes for further investigation, the antecedent brother effect and the study of immunoreactive subgroups. It is strongly suggested that studies of parity effects, pre- and perinatal complications, maternal insufficiency, and family genetic background relative to intellectual development take into consideration the sex of the proband and of antecedent siblings and the family proclivity to autoimmune and to allergic disorders. If the theory were supported by research along the lines suggested above, hypotheses concerning specific immunologic mechanisms might be developed. Such research might yield strategies for the prevention of some of the neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood.