There is epidemiological evidence that viral infections during pregnancy associate with higher frequency of autism in children. Recently, experimental data on this association were published in Science.
The phenomenon underlying the correlation is known as maternal immune activation. In experimental models (mice), the maternal immune activation increases the levels of a molecule, interleukin-17a, which affects the fetal brain development. Based upon these results, the authors of the study have proposed that targeting cells involved in the maternal immune response (i.e., the T helper 17 cells) may reduce the risk of having children with inflammation-associated autism.
Two years ago, another publication associated maternal infections during pregnancy not only with autism, but also with schizophrenia. In addition, the authors discussed clinical data that infections in pregnancy may increase the risk of epilepsy, cerebral palsy, Alzheimer and Parkinson diseases in the offspring.
What does this mean for pregnant women? Does it mean that it is better for future moms to not work, and limit their exposure to environments/settings where they can easily contract infectious diseases? This discussion is still missing from the publications. Another unanswered question is whether the increased rates of autism in the past years is due to the increased employment of women (see statistics in the graph below)
The phenomenon underlying the correlation is known as maternal immune activation. In experimental models (mice), the maternal immune activation increases the levels of a molecule, interleukin-17a, which affects the fetal brain development. Based upon these results, the authors of the study have proposed that targeting cells involved in the maternal immune response (i.e., the T helper 17 cells) may reduce the risk of having children with inflammation-associated autism.
Two years ago, another publication associated maternal infections during pregnancy not only with autism, but also with schizophrenia. In addition, the authors discussed clinical data that infections in pregnancy may increase the risk of epilepsy, cerebral palsy, Alzheimer and Parkinson diseases in the offspring.
What does this mean for pregnant women? Does it mean that it is better for future moms to not work, and limit their exposure to environments/settings where they can easily contract infectious diseases? This discussion is still missing from the publications. Another unanswered question is whether the increased rates of autism in the past years is due to the increased employment of women (see statistics in the graph below)
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| By Rcragun (Own work) [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons |
Many likely causes for the increased rates of autism have been discussed, such as the increased awareness of the condition (and therefore, its more frequent diagnosis), television, chemicals, vaccines, older age of the parents. However, we need to consider additional factors, including the phenomenon of maternal immune activation and its effects on the fetal development of the central nervous system.
There are several historic phases, during which women have increased their representation in the workforce, and the fourth phase (from the late 70s to present days) coincides with the increased rates of diagnosed autism.
Association/correlation does not mean causation; however, it might be prudent to protect pregnant women by offering better work conditions – shorter workdays, days working from home, and a longer paid maternity leave that starts months before the due date.
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