A study from Turkey found that female rats injected with mRNA COVID-19 vaccines were more likely to give birth to male offspring that exhibited symptoms associated with autism and lower neuronal counts in the brain.
The report authors called for further research, stressing that the results could not be extrapolated to humans at this stage.
“It’s imperative to recognize the limitations of our research, given that it relies on animal models. Caution should be exercised in generalizing these results to humans,” they wrote in the paper. “Further rigorous clinical studies are required to confirm these observations in human populations and to ascertain the exact mechanisms at play.”
“Furthermore, there was a substantial decrease in neuronal counts in critical brain regions, indicating potential neurodegeneration or altered neurodevelopment. Male rats also demonstrated impaired motor performance, evidenced by reduced coordination and agility.”
In the study, female rats were randomly assigned into two groups. Those in Group 1 received an intramuscular saline injection on the thirteenth day of gestation, while rats in Group 2 received Pfizer shots on the same day. There were seven female rats in Group 1 and eight in Group 2, totaling 15 rats.
- Open Field Test, which tested for general locomotor activity and anxiety.
- Novelty-Induced Rearing Behavior, which evaluated the offspring for their exploratory behaviors.
- Three-chamber Sociability and Social Novelty Test, which assessed the offspring’s sociability.
- Rotarod Test, which analyzed the offspring’s motor skills and endurance.
However, no such sex-based differences in motor coordination and balance were observed in the offspring born from rats administered with saline.
In sociability tests, the male offspring in the vaccine group were seen spending “significantly less time” with rats who were strangers to them compared to the male offspring of the saline group.
This difference did not exist when comparing the vaccine group’s female offspring with the saline group’s female offspring.
The findings “underscores the importance of considering sex as a biological variable in vaccine research and highlights the need for targeted studies to further explore the implications of these sex-specific effects.”
Brain Analysis
After the offspring rats were tested, researchers euthanized them, extracted their brains, and subjected them to biochemical and histological evaluations. Histology refers to the microscopic structure of organs, tissues, and cells.Similar to behavioral tests, the biochemical and histological evaluations also found that the male offspring in the vaccine groups were affected.
These offspring had “significantly decreased neuronal counts” in certain regions of the hippocampus compared to the males from the saline group. The hippocampus is the part of the brain that is tasked with forming new memories, learning, and emotions.
Similarly, the Purkinje cell count in the cerebellum was also “significantly lower” in the male offspring of the vaccine group. Purkinje cells are a type of neuron located in the brain.
“No significant differences” were found between females of the vaccine and saline groups in terms of neuronal counts in the hippocampus or in Purkinje cell counts.
The researchers also looked at brain BDNF levels and WNT gene expression among the offspring.
BDNF is a protein that influences brain functions, such as inducing new neuronal growth, preventing the death of existing brain cells, and supporting cognitive functions. Low BDNF levels have been linked to poor neural development, Alzheimer’s, and neurotransmitter dysfunction.
WNT gene expression was “significantly decreased” in male offspring of the vaccine group compared to males from the saline group. In females, offspring from the vaccine group showed “non-significantly higher” WNT gene expression than the saline group.
“The COVID-19 mRNA vaccine seems to induce autism-like behaviors in male rats, impacting the WNT and BDNF pathways in both genders,” the study said. “This gender-specific outcome emphasizes questions on the vaccine’s influence on brain function and structure.”
“There’s a notable higher prevalence of ASD (autism spectrum disorder) in males than females, pointing to innate biological factors affecting the manifestation of neurodevelopmental disorders differently between sexes.”
The authors asked that further research be conducted on these topics to “validate these findings in human populations and to unravel the complex mechanisms underlying the observed effects.”
The author emphasized the need for further long-term research to strengthen clinical guidelines with robust evidence.
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