AAAP Today

SMOKING WHEN PREGNANT COULD RAISE THE RISK OF AUTISM IN GRANDDAUGHTERS

In a study of 14,500 participants conducted by researchers from the University of Bristol in the UK, which involved three generations of parents and children from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), 177 OF 7000 grandchildren with autistic traits were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

An association between autism or autism-like traits and maternal grandmother’s (but not grandfather’s) smoking was seen. The association was not related to the mother’s smoking status. Speculation is that the damage is carried in the mitochondria which are passed down via the mother. But the effect of this process was not seen for grandsons.

Lesson learned? "We already know that protecting a baby from tobacco smoke is one of the best things a woman can do to giver her child a healthy start in life. Now we’ve found that not smoking during pregnancy could also give their future grandchildren a better start too." (Professor Jean Golding, author).

Comment: The finding suggests a role of an environmental factor, tobacco smoking, as an epigenetic risk factor for autism.

Reference: Golding J, Ellis G, Gregory S et al, Grand-maternal smoking in pregnancy and grandchild’s autistic traits and diagnosed autism. Scientific Reports, Article Number 46179, 2017.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317146.php

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​GIRLS ARE BETTER THAN BOYS AT MASKING SYMPTOMS OF AUTISM​

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/316738.php

A POTENTIAL GENE-BASED TREATMENT FOR SOCIAL/BEHAVIORAL IMPAIRMENTS IN AUTISM

EFFECTIVE TREATMENTS FOR THE VARIOUS PERIPHERAL SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF ASD (AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER) , THOUGH STILL FEW, HAVE BEEN DESCRIBED IN THE LITERATURE.

ALTHOUGH IT HAS NOT BEEN FOR A LACK OF RESEARCH EFFORTS, EFFECTIVE TREATMENTS FOR THE CORE SYMPTOMS OF ASD REMAIN UNKNOWN.

A RESEARCH TEAM FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA HAS PUBLISHED THEIR FINDINGS REGARDING THE POSSIBILITY OF TREATING SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL IMPAIRMENT IN AUTISM.

THE TREATMENT INVOLVES ADMINISTRATION OF AN ANTIBIOTIC, ALREADY FOUND TO ALLEVIATE ANXIETY AND TO TREAT TUBERCULOSIS.

BASING THEIR APPROACH ON THE KNOWN ROLE OF GENETICS IN THE CAUSAL PATHWAY TOWARDS AUTISM AND USING MICE AS THE RESEARCH SUBJECTS, THE RESEARCHERS TESTED THE EFFECT OF THE ANTIBIOTIC D-CYCLOSERINE ON THE FUNCTIONING OF A GENE (PCDH10) LINKED WITH REDUCED SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL IMPAIRMENTS.

THE RESEARCH WAS CONDUCTED ON MICE WHO HAD BEEN ENGINEERED TO LACK A GENE LINKED WITH SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL FUNCTIONING. FOLLOWING TREATMENT WITH THE ANTIBIOTIC, APPLIED TO THE NEURONS IN THE AMYDALA OF THE MICE (IN WHOM ONE COPY OF THE TARGETED GENE (PCDHI10) WAS DELETED),

THE RESEARCHERS OBSERVED AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE SOCIAL BEHAVIORS OF THE MICE.

THE STUDY IS EARLY AND MANY QUESTIONS REMAIN TO BE ANSWERED.

THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED IN MICE, RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS IS NEEDED.

THE ANTIBIOTIC D-CYCLOSERINE HAS BEEN PRESCRIBED FOR THE TREATMENT OF ANXIETY AND URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS. LABORTORY STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT THE ANTIBIOTIC D-CYCLOSERINE BOOSTS NMDA GLUTAMATE FUNCTION WHICH IS AN INDICATOR OF DISRUPTED CONNECTIVITY IN NEURAL CIRCUITS. THE LATTER PHENOMENON, IN TURN, HAS BEEN FOUND TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE AUTISM

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS RESEARCH IS THAT DATA FROM THE STUDY ARE EXPECTED TO PROVIDE FURTHER INSIGHT ON HOW GENES IMPACT AUTISM. FURTHERMORE, IF SHOWN TO BE EFFICACIOUS FOR HUMAN SUBJECTS WITH AUTISM, TREATMENT WITH D-CYCLOSERINE WOULD BE EXCEPTIONAL IN ITS POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF PERSONS WITH AUTISM WHOSE PROMINENT IMPAIRMENT IS IN THE REALM OF SOCIAL ABILITIES.

The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, volume 81, Issue 3 (2017). Authors: Hannah Schoch, Arati S. Kreibich, Sarah I Ferri, et al.