Effects of Prenatal Ultrasound Exposure on Adult Offspring Behavior in the Wistar Rat

Jensh, Ronald P.; Lewin, Peter A.; Poczobutt, Maria T.; Goldberg, Barry B.; Oler, Jacqueline; Goldman, M A; Brent, Robert L.

doi:10.3181/00379727-210-43937

Cited by 11 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…It is important to mention that there exist studies showing negative results after prenatal ultrasound exposure. As an example, Jensh et al [] found that rats exposed to 35 minutes of ultrasound in utero did not exhibit any changes in memory and anxiety tests.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Severity of ASD symptoms and their correlation with the presence of copy number variations and exposure to first trimester ultrasound

et al. 2016

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Scientific Abstract Current research suggests that incidence and heterogeneity of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms may arise through a variety of exogenous and/or endogenous factors. While subject to routine clinical practice and generally considered safe, there exists speculation, though no human data, that diagnostic ultrasound may also contribute to ASD severity, supported by experimental evidence that exposure to ultrasound early in gestation could perturb brain development and alter behavior. Here we explored a modified triple hit hypothesis (Williams & Casanova 2010) to assay for a possible relationship between the severity of ASD symptoms and (1) ultrasound exposure (2) during the first trimester of pregnancy in fetuses with a (3) genetic predisposition to ASD. We did so using retrospective analysis of data from the SSC (Simon's Simplex Collection) autism genetic repository funded by the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative. We found that male children with ASD, copy number variations (CNVs) and exposure to first trimester ultrasound had significantly decreased non-verbal IQ and increased repetitive behaviors relative to male children with ASD, with CNVs and no ultrasound. These data suggest that heterogeneity in ASD symptoms may result, at least in part, from exposure to diagnostic ultrasound during early prenatal development of children with specific genetic vulnerabilities. These results also add weight to on-going concerns expressed by the FDA about non-medical use of diagnostic ultrasound during pregnancy. Lay Abstract Variations in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may arise through both internal and external factors. Diagnostic ultrasound is used in routine clinical practice and is generally considered safe during pregnancy. However animal models suggest that ultrasound could contribute to ASD severity as ultrasound early in prenatal development may alter brain development and behavior. We test for a possible relationship between the severity of ASD symptoms and (1) ultrasound exposure (2) during the first trimester of pregnancy in fetuses with a (3) genetic predisposition to ASD. We used data from the SSC (Simon's Simplex Collection) autism genetic repository funded by the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative. We found that male children with ASD and copy number variations (CNVs), which is a type of genetic vulnerability, and exposure to first trimester ultrasound had decreased non-verbal IQ and increased repetitive behaviors compared to male children with ASD and CNVs but no ultrasound. These data suggest that variation in ASD symptoms may result from exposure to diagnostic ultrasound during early prenatal development of children with specific genetic vulnerabilities. These results also add weight to on-going concerns expressed by the FDA about non-medical use of diagnostic ultrasound during pregnancy.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Severity of ASD symptoms and their correlation with the presence of copy number variations and exposure to first trimester ultrasound

et al. 2016

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“…In contrast to the aforementioned publications, the results of a study by Jensh et al [33] did not indicate changed behavior after prenatal exposure to ultrasound.…”

Section: Animal Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 60%

“…Anders als in den vorgenannten Publikationen ließ das Ergebnis einer Studie von Jensh et al[33] nicht auf ein verändertes Verhalten nach pränataler Ultraschallexposition schließen. Die Gruppe hatte trächtige Ratten an den Gestationstagen 15, 17 und 19 für jeweils 35 Minuten mit einer für den B-Mode üblichen SPTA-Leistung von 24 mW/cm² exponiert und in einem zweiten Schritt die Leistungsabgabe auf etwa den doppelten Wert erhöht.…”

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How safe is it to use ultrasound in prenatal medicine? Facts and contradictions – Part 2 – Laboratory experiments regarding non-thermal effects and epidemiological studies

Dudwiesus¹,

Merz

2021

Ultraschall Med

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The first part of this CME article (issue 5/20) provided a detailed examination of the biophysical effects of ultrasound waves, the exposure values, and in particular the thermal effect. In vivo and in vitro measurements have shown that the temperature increase in tissue associated with B-mode ultrasound is far too low to pose a potential risk. Even experiments with exposure values in the range of pulsed Doppler have shown that temperature increases of over 1.5 °C can only occur in areas in direct contact with the probe, thus making a limited exposure time particularly in the case of transvaginal application advisable. The second part of this CME article describes various laboratory and animal experiments for evaluating non-thermal effects and also presents the most important epidemiological studies in the last 30 years in the form of an overview and review. In addition to direct insonation of isolated cells to examine possible mutagenic effects, the blood of patients exposed in vivo to ultrasound was also analyzed in multiple experiments. Reproducible chromosome aberrations could not be found in any of the studies. In contrast, many experiments on pregnant rodents showed some significant complications, such as abortion, deformities, and behavioral disorders. As in the case of thermal effects, the results of these experiments indicate the presence of an intensity- or pressure-dependent effect threshold. Numerous epidemiological studies examining possible short-term and long-term consequences after intrauterine ultrasound exposure are available with the most important studies being discussed in the following. In contrast to information presented incorrectly in the secondary literature and in the lay press, health problems could not be seen in the children observed in the postpartum period in any of these studies.

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“…Finally, Ang, Gluncic, Duque, Schafer, and Rakic [] observed that mice exposed to 30 min or more of ultrasound on day E14.5 experienced significantly disrupted cortical neuronal migration relative to sham controls. [It is worth noting that there exist negative results, for example, Jensh et al., found no alterations of the memory and anxiety level of rats after 35 min of in utero ultrasound exposure.] To our knowledge, there do not exist any studies that assess possible changes in social behavior induced by ultrasound delivered in utero.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mice Exposed to Diagnostic Ultrasound In Utero Are Less Social and More Active in Social Situations Relative to Controls

2013

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Clinical use of diagnostic ultrasound imaging during pregnancy has a long history of safety and diagnostic utility, as supported by numerous human case reports and epidemiological studies. However, there exist in vivo studies linking large but clinically relevant doses of ultrasound applied to mouse fetuses in utero to altered learning, memory, and neuroanatomy of those mice. Also, there exists a well-documented significant increase in the likelihood of non-right handedness in boys exposed to diagnostic ultrasound in utero, potentially relevant given the increased prevalence of autism in males, and some reports of excess non-right-handedness in this population. Motivated by these observations, we applied 30 minutes of diagnostic ultrasound to pregnant mice at embryonic day 14.5 and assayed the social behavior of their male pups three weeks after their birth. The ultrasound-exposed pups were significantly (p < 0.01) less interested in social interaction than sham-exposed pups in a 3-chamber sociability test. In addition, they demonstrated significantly (p < 0.05) more activity relative to the sham-exposed pups, but only in the presence of an unfamiliar mouse. These results suggest that fetal exposure to diagnostic ultrasound applied in utero can alter typical social behaviors in young mice that may be relevant for autism. There exist meaningful differences between the exposure of diagnostic ultrasound to mice versus humans that require further exploration before this work can usefully inform clinical practice. Future work should address these differences as well as clarify the extent, mechanisms, and functional effects of diagnostic ultrasound’s interaction with the developing brain.

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Effects of Prenatal Ultrasound Exposure on Adult Offspring Behavior in the Wistar Rat

Cited by 11 publications

References 12 publications

Severity of ASD symptoms and their correlation with the presence of copy number variations and exposure to first trimester ultrasound

Severity of ASD symptoms and their correlation with the presence of copy number variations and exposure to first trimester ultrasound

How safe is it to use ultrasound in prenatal medicine? Facts and contradictions – Part 2 – Laboratory experiments regarding non-thermal effects and epidemiological studies

Mice Exposed to Diagnostic Ultrasound In Utero Are Less Social and More Active in Social Situations Relative to Controls

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