Autism etiology

Our inability to defend ourselves against new chemicals and mixtures often results in epidemics of disease. For example, asthma, autism, infertility, and many cancers affect different parts of the body and seemingly have different etiologies. All, however, can be related to a combination of genetic predisposition and environmental exposure to chemicals. All are less prevalent where chemical exposures are lower, for example, in rural areas. All have known single chemical exposure causes and they can all be related to low level exposure to chemical mixtures. The toxic effects of chemical mixtures are explored in the chapters that follow. 

London E, Etzel RA. The environment as an etiologic factor in autism A new direction for research. Environ Health Perspect 2000 108 (Suppl 3) 401 4. 

Greenberg DA, Hodge SE, Sowinski J, Nicoll D. Excess of twins among affected sibling pairs with autism Implications for the etiology of autism. Am J Hum Genet2QQ 69 1062-7. 

Schaefer, GB and Mendelsohn, NJ (2008) Genetic evaluation for the etiologic diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Genet Med 10 4—12. 

While GABRB3 is a clear positional and functional candidate gene for autism, mutations in this gene have not been reported in autistic individuals. To explore the possibility that this protein is involved in the etiology of idiopathic autism. 

Although the etiology of autism is not understood, the defining or core symptoms of autistic disorder are considered to be impaired social interaction, impaired verbal and nonverbal communication, and restrictive, repetitive patterns of behavior. In addition, most patients with a primary diagnosis of autism exhibit other neurological or psychiatric symptoms, which may include seizures, sleep disorders, anxiety, panic attacks, attention deficit/hyperactivity, self-injury, and cognitive impairment (Simonoff et ah, 2008). It is not known to what extent these comorbidities reflect the primary pathology of autism and to what extent they represent unrelated vulnerabilities that are exacerbated by the impaired social interaction and communication that is characteristic of the disorder. 

The book begins with highly respected clinician. Dr. Margaret L. Bauman, Director of the LADDERS clinic in the Boston area, with a clinical and medical perspective of autism discussing etiologies, clinical presentation, early identification. 

Another idea is that prenatal impact on the activity of the neurotransmitter dopamine, including the effects of maternal psychosocial stress, maternal fever, maternal genetics and hormonal status, use of certain medications, and fetal hypoxia, may be involved in the epigenetic etiology of autism.67... 

Louis P. Does the human gut microbiota contribute to the etiology of autism spectrum disorders Dig Dis Sci. 2012 57 1987-1989. 

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