A profile and review of findings from the Early Markers for Autism study: unique contributions from a population-based case-control study in California

Autor: Cathleen K. Yoshida, Martin Kharrazi, Michela Traglia, Heather E. Volk, Lisa A. Croen, Kristen Lyall, Lauren A. Weiss, Michelle Pearl, Gayle C. Windham, Judy Van de Water, Paul Ashwood, Jennifer Ames, Robert H. Yolken
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Male
Pediatrics
Autism
Reproductive health and childbirth
Review
Endocrine Disruptors
lcsh:RC346-429
California
Pregnancy
Intellectual disability
Medicine
Vitamin D
Child
Pediatric
education.field_of_study
Psychiatry and Mental health
Mental Health
Biomarker (medicine)
Cytokines
Environmental Pollutants
Female
Adult
medicine.medical_specialty
Pediatric Research Initiative
Thyroid Hormones
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD)
Population
Clinical Sciences
Early Markers for Autism
Birth certificate
Young Adult
Developmental Neuroscience
Clinical Research
Humans
Autistic Disorder
Immune response
education
Molecular Biology
lcsh:Neurology. Diseases of the nervous system
business.industry
Prevention
Case-control study
Neurosciences
Environmental Exposure
Perinatal Period - Conditions Originating in Perinatal Period
medicine.disease
Brain Disorders
Good Health and Well Being
Risk factors
Case-Control Studies
Etiology
business
Biomarkers
Developmental Biology
Zdroj: Molecular autism, vol 12, iss 1
Molecular Autism
Molecular Autism, Vol 12, Iss 1, Pp 1-23 (2021)
Popis: Background The Early Markers for Autism (EMA) study is a population-based case–control study designed to learn more about early biologic processes involved in ASD. Methods Participants were drawn from Southern California births from 2000 to 2003 with archived prenatal and neonatal screening specimens. Across two phases, children with ASD (n = 629) and intellectual disability without ASD (ID, n = 230) were ascertained from the California Department of Developmental Services (DDS), with diagnoses confirmed according to DSM-IV-TR criteria based on expert clinical review of abstracted records. General population controls (GP, n = 599) were randomly sampled from birth certificate files and matched to ASD cases by sex, birth month and year after excluding individuals with DDS records. EMA has published over 20 papers examining immune markers, endogenous hormones, environmental chemicals, and genetic factors in association with ASD and ID. This review summarizes the results across these studies, as well as the EMA study design and future directions. Results EMA enabled several key contributions to the literature, including the examination of biomarker levels in biospecimens prospectively collected during critical windows of neurodevelopment. Key findings from EMA include demonstration of elevated cytokine and chemokine levels in maternal mid-pregnancy serum samples in association with ASD, as well as aberrations in other immune marker levels; suggestions of increased odds of ASD with prenatal exposure to certain endocrine disrupting chemicals, though not in mixture analyses; and demonstration of maternal and fetal genetic influence on prenatal chemical, and maternal and neonatal immune marker and vitamin D levels. We also observed an overall lack of association with ASD and measured maternal and neonatal vitamin D, mercury, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels. Limitations Covariate and outcome data were limited to information in Vital Statistics and DDS records. As a study based in Southern California, generalizability for certain environmental exposures may be reduced. Conclusions Results across EMA studies support the importance of the prenatal and neonatal periods in ASD etiology, and provide evidence for the role of the maternal immune response during pregnancy. Future directions for EMA, and the field of ASD in general, include interrogation of mechanistic pathways and examination of combined effects of exposures.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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