Meconium androgens are correlated with ASD-related phenotypic traits in early childhood in a familial enriched risk cohort.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Prenatal exposure to increased androgens has been suggested as a risk factor for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This hypothesis has been examined by measurement of steroids in amniotic fluid, cord blood, saliva, and blood with mixed results.

Methods

To provide an orthogonal measure of fetal exposure, this study used meconium, the first stool of a newborn, to measure prenatal androgen exposure from infants in the Early Autism Risk Longitudinal Investigation (EARLI). EARLI is a familial-enriched risk cohort that enrolled pregnant mothers who already had a child with an ASD diagnosis. In the younger child, we investigated the association between meconium unconjugated (u) and total (t) concentrations of major androgens testosterone (T), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA),

SUBMITTER: Terloyeva D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7686740 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature