Epigenetics of autism-related impairment: copy number variation and maternal infection.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Epidemiological data have suggested maternal infection and fever to be associated with increased risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Animal studies show that gestational infections perturb fetal brain development and result in offspring with the core features of autism and have demonstrated that behavioral effects of maternal immune activation are dependent on genetic susceptibility. The goal of this study was to explore the impact of ASD-associated copy number variants (CNVs) and prenatal maternal infection on clinical severity of ASD within a dataset of prenatal history and complete genetic and phenotypic findings.

Methods

We analyzed data from the Simons Simplex Collection sample including 1971 children with a diagnosis of ASD aged 4 to 18 years who underwen

SUBMITTER: Mazina V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4318761 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Feb-Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature