12 Years Later: Environmental Causes of Autism Still Unexplored

"The Environment as an etiologic factor in autism: a new direction for research"  by EA London was published online by ehp, Environmental Health Perspectives, in 2000. Today, 12 years later, it remains the direction not taken as "autism research" continues down the road of genetic obsession and largely ignores environmental autism research.

Although public health authorities have paid lip service to the idea that autism appears to result from gene environment interaction funding has been overwhelmingly directed towards the gene side of the equation. The people who are much smarter than most of us, who understand things we can not possibly understand, who do not need our input as unwashed, unthinking parents of autistic children simply keep on keepin' on with their religious like belief that autism is primarily genetic.  Following is the abstract and the suggestion for new lines of investigation into environmental exposures which the US IACC, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research and other agencies involved with setting directions for autism research do not appear to have accepted. Of course the genetic obsession research has brought us a better understanding of autism causes .... hasn't it?

Abstract

Autism is one of a group of developmental disorders that have devastating lifelong effects on its victims. Despite the severity of the disease and the fact that it is relatively common (15 in 10,000), there is still little understanding of its etiology. Although believed to be highly genetic, no abnormal genes have been found. Recent findings in autism and in related disorders point to the possibility that the disease is caused by a gene-environment interaction. Epidemiologic studies indicate that the number of cases of autism is increasing dramatically each year. It is not clear whether this is due to a real increase in the disease or whether this is an artifact of ascertainment. A new theory regarding the etiology of autism suggests that it may be a disease of very early fetal development (approximately day 20-24 of gestation). This theory has initiated new lines of investigation into developmental genes. Environmental exposures during pregnancy could cause or contribute to autism based on the neurobiology of these genes.

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Is "New" Autism Theory Much Ado About Nothing?

I have read the New York Times article In a Novel Theory of Mental Disorders, Parents’ Genes Are in Competition about the new theory articulated by Dr Crespi and Dr Badcock but I have to confess that I do not see what all the fuss is about. From what this humble layman can understood the "theory" is really little more than speculation, a simple reorganization of how we categorize or arrange various discrete disorders. It does not appear to be based on any novel research, evidence or observations.

I am not sure if it is properly called a theory but the NYT summarizes it as follows:

Their idea is, in broad outline, straightforward. Dr. Crespi and Dr. Badcock propose that an evolutionary tug of war between genes from the father’s sperm and the mother’s egg can, in effect, tip brain development in one of two ways. A strong bias toward the father pushes a developing brain along the autistic spectrum, toward a fascination with objects, patterns, mechanical systems, at the expense of social development. A bias toward the mother moves the growing brain along what the researchers call the psychotic spectrum, toward hypersensitivity to mood, their own and others’. This, according to the theory, increases a child’s risk of developing schizophrenia later on, as well as mood problems like bipolar disorder and depression.

In short: autism and schizophrenia represent opposite ends of a spectrum that includes most, if not all, psychiatric and developmental brain disorders. The theory has no use for psychiatry’s many separate categories for disorders, and it would give genetic findings an entirely new dimension.

What is meant by the NYT 's expressions "tug of war" and "bias"? How do these events occur? And why does the theory have no use for psychiatry's many separate categories for disorders? If persons now described as having schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder or autism consistently exhibit different behaviors and different ways of thinking or understanding the world why should the categories be disregarded?

One of the authors of the theory, Dr. Crespi, states that the implications of their theory are huge.

This humble father of a 12 year old boy with Autistic Disorder, and profound developmental delays, is not so sure.

autism

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Autism Learning Quotes

"We're showing, on the one hand, that autism seems to have a large genetic component. But, the genes that are involved are actually those that are involved in responding to the environment and learning."

"Our work reinforces the importance of early intervention and behavioral therapy

- Christopher Walsh, chief of genetics at Children's Hospital Boston, co-author of study which
found that genes linked to a heightened risk of autism are crucial to a child's ability to learn, Scientific American, July 11, 2008

autism

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Autism, Environment and Genetic Mutations: Hamilton Steel Mills and Conor's Autism Disorder

The dark smokestacks and olive green buildings on the left are part of the Stelco steel mill, the mint green ones in front of that and to the right are Dofasco. The skyway bridge (8 lanes wide!) that runs between connects east Hamilton to west Burlington over the Hamilton Habour (the western end of Lake Ontario.)

Photo and information above from skyway-ingenia, Lisa Shadforth

Genetic Mutation has been a hot topic in the autism news with several studies pointing to genetic mutations as indicating increased autism susceptibility. Genetic mutation can occur as a result of a number of different factors including chemical and radioactive insults. A story in today's Toronto Star dealing with genetic mutation in Hamilton Ontario mice really made me sit up and take notice.

Mice breathing the air downwind from Hamilton's two big steel mills were found to have significantly higher mutation rates in their sperm, a new Health Canada-led study says.

While there's no evidence that residents of the area are experiencing the same genetic changes, the project's lead author says the findings do raise that question.

"We need to do that experiment and find out," said Carole Yauk, a research scientist with Health Canada.

A future study will look at "DNA damage in the sperm of people living in those areas."

...

Dr. Rod McInnes, director of genetics at Canadian Institutes of Health Research, said the mice could be "the canary in the coal mine" signalling the genetic risks to humans of breathing toxic air. ... While genetic changes in sperm would not affect a male directly, they'd get passed on to the offspring that receive his DNA.


The story reports on a study indicating that the mice living under the Burlington skyway downwind from 2 Hamilton steel mills and breathing the air from those mills for a period as short as 10 weeks were found to have significant sperm mutations. The study Germ-line mutations, DNA damage, and global hypermethylation in mice exposed to particulate air pollution in an urban/industrial location is published in this weeks edition of PNAS.

Why did this particular story grab MY attention? We lived on Leominster Drive, in the westerly area of Burlington adjacent to Hamilton for 12 months prior to Conor's conception and a further 9 months until he was born at the Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital in Burlington. Two years later he was diagnosed with PDD-NOS, later changed to Autism Disorder with profound developmental delays.

Enough information to jump to rash conclusions? No. Pause for thought? Yes.

autism

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