Prenatal levonorgestrel exposure induces autism-like behavior in offspring through ERβ suppression in the amygdala.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by impairments in social communication and restricted or repetitive behaviors or interests. ASD is now diagnosed in more than one out of 100 children and is biased towards males by a ratio of at least 4:1. Many possible explanations and potential causative factors have been reported, such as genetics, sex, and environmental factors, although the detailed mechanisms of ASD remain unclear.

Methods

The dams were exposed through oral contraceptives to either vehicle control (VEH) alone, levonorgestrel (LNG) alone, ethinyl estradiol (EE) alone, or a combination of LNG/EE for 21 days during their pregnancy. The subsequent 10-week-old offspring were used for autism-like behavior testing, and the limbic tissues were isolated

SUBMITTER: Zou Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5561609 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature