Mady Hornig
[3] Along with CII director W. Ian Lipkin and colleague Thomas Briese, she is currently investigating measles virus RNA sequences in bowel biopsies of children with autism spectrum disorders.[9] Regarding this study, Hornig said that its results "are consistent with other research suggesting that autism may be a system-wide disorder, and provide insight into why changes in diet or the use of antibiotics may help alleviate symptoms in some children.[11][12] In the 1990s, Hornig helped to develop an infection-based model of neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism and depression, based on neonatal rat infection with Borna disease virus.[5][13] In 2004, Hornig published a controversial paper concluding that, in a highly inbred strain of mice which is unusually susceptible to autoimmune disease, administration of thimerosal resulted in the development of autism-like symptoms; specifically, "growth delay; reduced locomotion; exaggerated response to novelty; and densely packed, hyperchromic hippocampal neurons with altered glutamate receptors and transporters.[20] In 2009, Hornig published another study using mice to examine the mechanism by which Group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus infections might cause Tourette's syndrome, OCD and tics, in line with the PANDAS hypothesis.