FLOREY researchers have uncovered evidence linking higher levels of the plastic chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in pregnant mothers to a greater likelihood of their sons developing autism.
Published in Nature Communications, the study, led by Dr Wah Chin Boon and Prof Anne-Louise Ponsonby, supports the hypothesis of a connection between prenatal exposure to plastic chemicals and autism.
The research analysed two large birth cohorts - the Barwon Infant Study in Australia and the Columbia Centre for Children's Health and Environment in the USA.
"Exposure to plastic chemicals during pregnancy has already been associated with autism in some studies," Prof Ponsonby noted.
"Our work is crucial because it demonstrates one of the biological mechanisms potentially involved."
The study found that BPA can disrupt hormone-controlled male foetal brain development, including silencing the enzyme aromatase, which converts testosterone to neuroestrogen and is vital for male brain development.
This disruption appears to be a key piece of the autism puzzle.
The research revealed that boys born to mothers with higher urinary BPA levels in late pregnancy were 3.5 times more likely to show autism symptoms by age two, and six times more likely to have a verified autism diagnosis by age 11.
The link was particularly strong among boys with lower levels of aromatase, making them more vulnerable to BPA's endocrine-disrupting properties. JG
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