Immunologic and neurodevelopmental susceptibilities of autism
Section snippets
How can chemical exposure contribute to autism risk? I.N. Pessah, UC, Davis, CA, USA
Autism is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder defined by core deficits in social reciprocity, communication, and restrictive/repetitive patterns of interest and behavior (American Psychiatric Assoc, 2000). Although autism may be one of the most heritable complex disorders, the genes linked to autism risk do not segregate in a simple Mendelian manner (Folstein and Rosen-Sheidley, 2001, Trikalinos et al., 2005). There is increasing scientific interest in identifying complex interactions
Developmental neuroendocrine effects of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs): parallels with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). R.F. Seegal, Wadsworth Center, Albany, NY, USA
ADHD is the most commonly diagnosed neuropsychiatric/neurological disorder in children (McGough, 2005) and is characterized by behavioral hallmarks including attentional deficits, impulsivity and motor over-activity (Biederman, 2005, Himelstein et al., 2000). The incidence of this disorder ranges from 2 to 16% (Goldman et al., 1998), indicating the difficulties in diagnosis, the potential co-morbidity with other neuropsychiatric/neurological disorders and the likelihood that ADHD is a disorder
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) modulate the development of neuronal connectivity. Pamela J. Lein, CROET, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
PCBs are persistent widespread environmental contaminants, and high residue levels are still detected in human tissues (DeCaprio et al., 2005, Humphrey et al., 2000, Park et al., 2007). Epidemiological data indicate that PCBs negatively impact neuropsychological function in exposed children (Carpenter, 2006, Schantz et al., 2003), and experimental animal studies confirm that developmental PCB exposure causes cognitive and psychomotor deficits (Mariussen and Fonnum, 2006). PCBs disrupt thyroid
Epigenetic influences on autism risk: a role for GABAA receptor dysregulation. Janine M. LaSalle, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
Epigenetics is the study of inheritable and reversible modifications to nucleotides or chromosomes that do not change the genetic sequence but can modify gene expression and phenotype. The importance of epigenetic mechanisms in regulating human brain development has been recently revealed by the discovery of the genetic bases of several human neurodevelopmental disorders (Egger et al., 2004, Hendrich and Bickmore, 2001, Zoghbi, 2003). Genetic syndromic causes of autism that involve epigenetic
The impacts of maternal immune challenge on the fetal brain and the pathological consequences on behavior. Benjamin K. Yee, Urs Meyer, and Joram Feldon, Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
Maternal infection in prenatal life is a notable risk factor in the development of severe neuropsychiatric disorders in later life, including schizophrenia and autism (reviewed in Arndt et al., 2005, Brown, 2006, Brown and Susser, 2002, Fatemi, 2005, Patterson, 2007). One prevalent hypothesis suggests that infection-induced disruption of early prenatal brain development may predispose the organism for long-lasting structural and functional brain abnormalities, leading to the emergence of
Maternal autoantibodies: developmental neurotoxicants of autism risk? Judy Van de Water, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by impairments in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, and stereotyped behaviors and interests (Lord et al., 2000a). ASD encompasses a broad range of phenotypes and diagnosis is currently based solely on behavioral criteria (Lord et al., 2000b). The etiology of ASD is not well understood, though it likely involves both genetic and environmental factors (Volkmar and Pauls, 2003). Although the age of
Examination of thimerosal effects in neonatal SJL/J mice at vaccination-associated exposure levels. Robert F. Berman, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
Thimerosal (sodium ethyl mercury thiosalicylate) is an antimicrobial preservative used since the 1930s in numerous vaccines and medicinal preparations. Ethylmercury poisoning has occurred in humans, resulting in renal and neurotoxicity in the affected populations (Cinca et al., 1980, Damluji, 1962; Hilmy et al., 1976; Zhang, 1984). However, the possible effects of exposure to lower levels of ethyl mercury, such as those levels associated with immunization with thimerosal-preserved vaccines, are
Acknowledgements
The work presented was supported by USEPA grant R829390 and NIH grants ES010338, HD40936, ES11269, ES014901, ES015171, ES11263, HD40936.and GM041292, ETH Zurich, and The Swiss National Science Foundation.
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