Environmental factors in the development of autism spectrum disorders

Sealey, Leanna; Hughes, Brandon W.; Sriskanda, Ahila N.; Guest, J.R.; Gibson, Alex; Johnson-Williams, L.; Pace, Donald Gene; Bagasra, Omar

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2015.12.021

Cited by 184 publications

(103 citation statements)

References 80 publications

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“…Air pollutants, pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, solvents, and glyphosate appear to be associated with development of ASD (Sealey et al, 2016). A possible relationship is shown between ASD severity and blood or hair levels of heavy metals, including mercury and lead (Rossignol et al, 2014).…”

Section: Asd and Neuroinflammationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Involvement of Neuroinflammation during Brain Development in Social Cognitive Deficits in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Schizophrenia

Nakagawa¹,

Chiba²

2016

Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics

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Development of social cognition, a unique and high-order function, depends on brain maturation from childhood to adulthood in humans. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia have similar social cognitive deficits, although age of onset in each disorder is different. Pathogenesis of these disorders is complex and contains several features, including genetic risk factors, environmental risk factors, and sites of abnormalities in the brain. Although several hypotheses have been postulated, they seem to be insufficient to explain how brain alterations associated with symptoms in these disorders develop at distinct developmental stages. Development of ASD appears to be related to cerebellar dysfunction and subsequent thalamic hyperactivation in early childhood. By contrast, schizophrenia seems to be triggered by thalamic hyperactivation in late adolescence, whereas hippocampal aberration has been possibly initiated in childhood. One of the possible culprits is metal homeostasis disturbances that can induce dysfunction of blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier. Thalamic hyperactivation is thought to be induced by microglia-mediated neuroinflammation and abnormalities of intracerebral environment. Consequently, it is likely that the thalamic hyperactivation triggers dysregulation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for lower brain regions related to social cognition. In this review, we summarize the brain aberration in ASD and schizophrenia and provide a possible mechanism underlying social cognitive deficits in these disorders based on their distinct ages of onset.

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Section: Asd and Neuroinflammationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Involvement of Neuroinflammation during Brain Development in Social Cognitive Deficits in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Schizophrenia

Nakagawa¹,

Chiba²

2016

Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics

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“…This increased prevalence is likely partly due to environmental influences, of which there are many candidates. Many chemical classes or specific chemicals related to autism have been reviewed by Rossignol or Sealey and co-authors [3,4]. These include pesticides, heavy metals, diesel, particulate matter, and other traffic and air or smoking pollutants, as well as Bisphenol A, phthalates , solvents and polychlorinated or polybrominated biphenyls found in household objects such as feeding bottles, fragrances or flame retardants.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Autism genes are selectively targeted by environmental pollutants including pesticides, heavy metals, bisphenol A, phthalates and many others in food, cosmetics or household products

Carter

Blizard

2016

Neurochemistry International

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“…Like the list provided by Grandjean and Landrigan (2014), their list included organophosphate pesticides; PBDE flame retardants;; lead; mercury; and polychlorinated biphenyls; combustion-related air pollutants, which include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter (Bennett et al 2016). Sealey et al (2016) also presented a list of neurotoxicants suspected to play a role in the increase in neurodevelopmental disorders. That list added two more neurotoxicants in addition to those previously mentioned: glyphosate (a chemical used as the "active" ingredient in the herbicide Roundup) and aluminum adjuvants (annealed polymeric hydroxyaluminum III "salts" usually used in vaccines to "indiscriminately activate" the immune systems in the recipients of certain vaccines) (Nevison 2014;Sealey at al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sealey et al (2016) also presented a list of neurotoxicants suspected to play a role in the increase in neurodevelopmental disorders. That list added two more neurotoxicants in addition to those previously mentioned: glyphosate (a chemical used as the "active" ingredient in the herbicide Roundup) and aluminum adjuvants (annealed polymeric hydroxyaluminum III "salts" usually used in vaccines to "indiscriminately activate" the immune systems in the recipients of certain vaccines) (Nevison 2014;Sealey at al. 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developmental neurotoxicants and the vulnerable male brain: a systematic review of suspected neurotoxicants that disproportionally affect males

Kern¹,

Homme

King³

et al. 2017

Acta Neurobiologiae Experimentalis

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The prevalence of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDs), including autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, tic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and emotional disturbances, has increased notably in the past few decades.To date, debate continues as to the origins of NDs. Increases in widespread exposure to and bioaccumulation of chemical neurotoxicants have paralleled the upsurge in NDs, and are suggested to be causal agents for NDs. One consistent aspect of NDs is the male preponderance. This review considers the issue of male preponderance by reviewing the gender-specific neurotoxic effects of recognized neurotoxicant chemicals to assess their possible etiology in NDs. This investigation consisted of a systematic literature review of original studies published from 1970-2016 on suspected neurotoxicants, to examine whether they have a disproportionate adverse effect based on gender. Based on that review, the neurotoxicants exhibiting consistent gender-specific effects, with exposed males being more affected (than similarly exposed females), were: lead, Thimerosal/ethylmercury, some organochlorine pesticides (e.g., dieldrin, endosulfan, and heptachlor), and air pollution. The next group identified were neurotoxicants exhibiting gender-specific neurotoxic effects, with males being somewhat (but not consistently) more affected than females: mercury vapor, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and organophosphate pesticides. Finally, there was a group of studies in which the neurotoxicants exhibited apparent gender-related neurotoxic effects but failed to show whether exposed males were consistently more affected than females: inorganic mercury salts, methylmercury species, and certain endocrine disruptors (e.g., phthalates and BPA). The overall conclusion from the studies reviewed was that the brain in males is more vulnerable to many toxic exposures than it is in females. Evidence suggests that the reasons for the male brain being more vulnerable include:(1) greater glutathione availability in females; (2) greater sulfate-based detoxification capacity in females; (3) potentiating effects of co-exposure to neurotoxicants and testosterone; (4) greater neuroinflammatory response in males; (5) reduced vulnerability to oxidative stress in females; and (6) neuroprotective effects of female hormones (estrogen and progesterone), especially in the reduction of inflammation and oxidative stress.

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Environmental factors in the development of autism spectrum disorders

Cited by 184 publications

References 80 publications

Involvement of Neuroinflammation during Brain Development in Social Cognitive Deficits in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Schizophrenia

Involvement of Neuroinflammation during Brain Development in Social Cognitive Deficits in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Schizophrenia

Autism genes are selectively targeted by environmental pollutants including pesticides, heavy metals, bisphenol A, phthalates and many others in food, cosmetics or household products

Developmental neurotoxicants and the vulnerable male brain: a systematic review of suspected neurotoxicants that disproportionally affect males

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