Our BIS team is working hard to understand more about children’s lives in the modern world. One area we are interested in learning more about is neurodiversity.
Neurodivergent people, including those in the autistic community, are unique individuals with a range of strengths, life experiences and personal qualities. We are aware that some individuals may prefer identity-first language while some may prefer person-first language; in this summary, we use both.
We would also like to acknowledge that many children with autism experience developmental vulnerabilities and that understanding how people become neurodivergent is an important research question.
We have recently published an article in Nature Communications about exposure to plastics during pregnancy and autism development. For more details, please see our press release and the full article linked here.
The paper is a significant step in our research. It shows how a common plastic chemical, bisphenol A, can influence the molecular development of the brain in utero for some children, potentially altering neurodevelopment. While the paper contains many laboratory studies, the findings from the human population, contributed to by the BIS cohort and families, were particularly important.
The goal of this research is to improve the health and well-being of the whole community and highlight the need for tighter environmental regulations of plastics. The information in this new paper is now being considered by the government, including international bodies that set plastic safety standards. We thank you and your child for your valuable contribution to new knowledge on optimising early life development for modern children.
A 10-year study has linked high levels of plastic chemicals in pregnant mothers to the development of autism in boys.
Australian scientists have found a link between autism in children and their mother's exposure to chemicals found in plastics. BPAs are commonly found in packaging, seeping into food before it is eaten.
Professor Anne-Louise Ponsonby explains how exposure to everyday chemicals during pregnancy may be harmful to brain development, watch video here.
Emerging research is shedding light on the relationship between prenatal exposure to environmental chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA) and the development of neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). BPA, an endocrine-disrupting compound commonly found in plastics, may disrupt hormonal pathways critical for early brain development. A key player in this disruption appears to be the brain aromatase enzyme, which regulates the conversion of androgens to estrogens and influences neurodevelopment. In this EDC Strategies Partnership webinar,
Dr. Anne-Louise Ponsonby presented findings from a study conducted in the Barwon Infant Study birth cohort (n = 1,074). The research found that higher prenatal BPA levels are associated with increased ASD symptoms at age 2 and an ASD diagnosis by age 9 in males with low aromatase genetic pathway activity scores. The study also found that prenatal BPA exposure predicted higher methylation across a genetic region that is linked to aromatase gene activity. Laboratory studies found that this methylation mediates the association between prenatal BPA exposure and changes in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) methylation, an essential component of neuroplasticity and synaptic function.
Medical experts have called for an overhaul of plastics regulation in Australia as growing evidence indicates that neuroendocrine-disrupting chemicals are linked with the development of autism.
