Relationship between Autism Spectrum Disorder and Pesticides: A Systematic Review of Human and Preclinical Models.

International journal of environmental research and public health. 2021;18(10)
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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by neurodevelopmental differences in the brain that manifest in divergent social and communicative abilities and stereotyped behaviours. The prevalence of ASD diagnoses has risen sharply in recent years, possibly due to changes in diagnostics criteria, but this does not fully explain the increase. ASD has known genetic predispositions, but vulnerability factors, such as influences from the external environment, are thought to influence the development of the condition. Exposure to pesticides has been of interest here, as both human and rodent studies have demonstrated links between certain pesticides and ASD-like behaviours and diagnosis. This systematic review sought to summarize current knowledge from preclinical and epidemiological studies. It included 45 human and 16 preclinical studies from animal models, focusing on Organophosphates, Organochlorine, Pyrethroid, Neonicotinoid, Carbamate, and exposure to mixed pesticides. The anayisis yielded no clear conclusion as the complexity of influencing factors made the studies hard to summarize. I.e. different types of pesticides, exposure duration, exposure routes and methodologies used in the various studies. Another problem highlighted by the author is that it is impossible to look at pesticide exposure in isolation as it always co-exists with other factors that may be harmful or beneficial for the development of the nervous system. Such as lifestyle, socioeconomics, educational status, ethnicity, gender or genetics. However, evidence suggests that some compounds like Organophosphates, Organochlorine and Pyrethroid appear to have an impact on cognitive and behavioural functions in children following exposure. Yet, further clinical research is needed to draw firm conclusions on pesticide exposures in humans and ASD in general. Overall this review yields a comprehensive overview of various pesticides and their evidence on ASD. Whilst awaiting further research more solid conclusions may be drawn by focusing on specific compounds and their existing research

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex set of neurodevelopmental pathologies characterized by impoverished social and communicative abilities and stereotyped behaviors. Although its genetic basis is unquestionable, the involvement of environmental factors such as exposure to pesticides has also been proposed. Despite the systematic analyses of this relationship in humans, there are no specific reviews including both human and preclinical models. The present systematic review summarizes, analyzes, and discusses recent advances in preclinical and epidemiological studies. We included 45 human and 16 preclinical studies. These studies focused on Organophosphates (OP), Organochlorine (OC), Pyrethroid (PT), Neonicotinoid (NN), Carbamate (CM), and mixed exposures. Preclinical studies, where the OP Chlorpyrifos (CPF) compound is the one most studied, pointed to an association between gestational exposure and increased ASD-like behaviors, although the data are inconclusive with regard to other ages or pesticides. Studies in humans focused on prenatal exposure to OP and OC agents, and report cognitive and behavioral alterations related to ASD symptomatology. The results of both suggest that gestational exposure to certain OP agents could be linked to the clinical signs of ASD. Future experimental studies should focus on extending the analysis of ASD-like behaviors in preclinical models and include exposure patterns similar to those observed in human studies.

Lifestyle medicine

Fundamental Clinical Imbalances : Neurological
Patient Centred Factors : Mediators/Pesticides
Environmental Inputs : Diet
Personal Lifestyle Factors : Nutrition ; Environment
Functional Laboratory Testing : Not applicable

Methodological quality

Jadad score : Not applicable
Allocation concealment : Not applicable

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