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Foetal oestrogens and autism
Simon Baron-Cohen1, Alexandros Tsompanidis2, Bonnie Auyeung3,4
1Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. sb205@cam.ac.uk.
Insights
Prenatal exposure to certain estrogen hormones, like estradiol and estrone, is linked to an increased likelihood of autism in children. This finding expands on previous research showing elevated prenatal steroid activity in autism cases.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Reproductive Biology
Background:
- Prenatal androgen activity is linked to autism in boys.
- The role of prenatal estrogens in autism development is not well understood.
- Estrogens are crucial for prenatal brain development, including synaptogenesis and corticogenesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between prenatal estrogen levels (estriol, estradiol, estrone, estrone sulfate) in amniotic fluid and autism likelihood.
- To compare the effects of prenatal estrogens and androgens on autism risk.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of amniotic fluid samples from the Danish Historic Birth Cohort.
- Measurement of prenatal estrogen and progesterone levels.
- Univariate logistic regression and false discovery rate correction for statistical analysis (n=98 cases, n=177 controls).
Main Results:
- Estradiol, estrone, estriol, and progesterone levels were associated with autism after statistical correction.
- Estradiol, estrone, and progesterone showed the most significant effects on autism likelihood.
- This study provides the first evidence that prenatal estrogens contribute to autism risk.
Conclusions:
- Prenatal estrogen exposure is a contributing factor to autism likelihood.
- These findings extend the understanding of elevated prenatal steroidogenic activity in autism.
- Prenatal hormone levels may influence sexual differentiation, brain development, and function in individuals with autism.
Abstract:
Elevated latent prenatal steroidogenic activity has been found in the amniotic fluid of autistic boys, based on measuring prenatal androgens and other steroid hormones. To date, it is unclear if other prenatal steroids also contribute to autism likelihood. Prenatal oestrogens need to be investigated, as they play a key role in synaptogenesis and corticogenesis during prenatal development, in both males and females. Here we test whether levels of prenatal oestriol, oestradiol, oestrone and oestrone sulphate in amniotic fluid are associated with autism, in the same Danish Historic Birth Cohort, in which prenatal androgens were measured, using univariate logistic regression (n = 98 cases, n = 177 controls). We also make a like-to-like comparison between the prenatal oestrogens and androgens. Oestradiol, oestrone, oestriol and progesterone each related to autism in univariate analyses after correction with false discovery rate. A comparison of standardised odds ratios showed that oestradiol, oestrone and progesterone had the largest effects on autism likelihood. These results for the first time show that prenatal oestrogens contribute to autism likelihood, extending the finding of elevated prenatal steroidogenic activity in autism. This likely affects sexual differentiation, brain development and function.
