Steroid hormones autism already in the womb

First Non-Genetic Note: Autism in the womb

08/06/2014

The causes of autism are still unknown. British and Danish researchers have now found a non-genetic clue for the first time: Even in the womb, later autistic individuals are exposed to elevated levels of steroid hormones as unborn children.

First non-genetic reference
The cause of autism is still a mystery. But British scientists at the University of Cambridge have now made great progress in researching the developmental disorder with researchers from the Danish Statens Serum Institute. In one study, they compared around 19,500 fruit water samples from women. They came to the conclusion that pregnant women with an increased concentration of steroid hormones in the amniotic fluid are more likely to give birth to children who later develop autism. Like the online portal „nachrichten.ch“ writes Simon Baron-Cohen of the University of Cambridge: „The steroid hormones are our first non-genetic indication of the development of autism in children.“

Autists were exposed to a higher steroid concentration in the womb
Steroid hormones include, for example, testosterone, progesterone and cortisol - all sex hormones. „The results could help us explain why autism occurs more often in men“, so Baron-Cohen. The team led by Baron-Cohen and Michael Lombardo in Cambridge and Bent Nørgaard-Pedersen in Copenhagen took samples of a Danish one „biobank“. The findings of the amniotic fluid samples were compared with the incidence of autism of diseased sons of the women. The results showed that the autistic subjects were exposed to a higher steroid concentration compared to healthy men in the mother's womb.

Expert warns against taking steroid hormone blockers
„We already knew that an elevated testosterone level is accompanied by a slower social and language development, a love of detail - in other words, autistic features“, explained Baron-Cohen. But now it has been shown that too many steroid hormones can cause autism in children during pregnancy. „However, our results should not lead to pregnant women taking steroid hormone blockers“, warned the expert. These could have undesirable side effects and permanently damage the child's brain. Although the steroid hormones were effective, the complexities of autism need to be further explored.

Incurable disorder
Autism is usually described as a congenital, incurable brain cognitive and information processing disorder. The symptoms as well as the individual expression can range from mild behavioral problems to severe mental disabilities. However, common to all autistic disorders is an impairment of social behavior, such as to speak through difficulties with other people or use facial expressions and body language and understand. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), autism is one of the most profound neurological developmental disorders. (Ad)

Picture credits: Oliver Klas