Autism Research最新文献

{"title":"Introduction to the Special Section on the Genetics of Autism","authors":"Genevieve Konopka","doi":"10.1002/aur.70064","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70064","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Genetic contributions to the etiology of autism have long been recognized in autism research. However, many aspects of how genetic and genomic factors influence the development and progression of autism remain poorly understood and require further investigation. A wide range of approaches can be employed in this pursuit, including studies of human cohorts, model systems, and detailed mechanistic research at both cellular and organismal levels. To broaden the scope of studies published in <i>Autism Research</i> related to the genetics of autism, we issued a call for manuscripts to be included in a special issue. Here, we present six comprehensive studies that utilize diverse approaches to investigate the genetic mechanisms underlying autism. Two of these studies (Arutiunian et al. <span>2025</span>; Hudac et al. <span>2025</span>) focused primarily on human subjects. One of them (Hudac et al. <span>2025</span>) examined visual and auditory attention in autistic individuals with monogenic forms of autism—carrying variants in either <i>DYRK1A</i> or <i>SCN2A</i>—using eye tracking and electroencephalography (EEG). They found distinct behavioral outcomes depending on the specific genetic variant. The other study (Arutiunian et al. <span>2025</span>) investigated a separate cohort of autistic individuals with a particular single nucleotide polymorphism in <i>CNTNAP2</i>, identifying an association with language impairments. Three manuscripts (He et al. <span>2025</span>; Nishizaki et al. <span>2025</span>; Rojas et al. <span>2025</span>) combined research in both human subjects and model systems. One study (He et al. <span>2025</span>) discovered novel de novo variants in <i>NAA15</i> associated with autism and conducted detailed studies in loss-of-function mouse models, revealing a role for NAA15 in early brain development. Another study (Nishizaki et al. <span>2025</span>) identified new genes associated with autism spectrum disorder with disproportionate megalencephaly (ASD-DM) in human cohorts and explored the function of one of these genes, <i>YTHDF2</i>, in zebrafish models. Their findings showed changes in brain size and gene expression patterns consistent with the observed phenotypes. The third manuscript (Rojas et al. <span>2025</span>) reported altered levels of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in individuals with autism and used cell lines to investigate the role of specific genes involved in mtDNA replication, although no direct correlation was found between gene expression and mtDNA levels. Finally, one other report (Co et al. <span>2025</span>) characterized the functional implications of a specific mouse genetic tool related to the high-confidence autism gene <i>TBR1</i>. They found that this mouse line, while originally designed for another purpose, inadvertently provides a valuable model for studying <i>TBR1</i> dosage effects on brain development. Collectively, these studies highlight the diverse genetic approaches being used to advance ","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"18 5","pages":"896-897"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aur.70064","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144129656","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Infant Achievements Intervention Improves Caregiver Implementation Fidelity and Infant Social Communication Outcomes: A Preliminary Randomized Clinical Trial","authors":"Rebecca J. Landa,&nbsp;Rachel Reetzke,&nbsp;Christine Reiner Hess","doi":"10.1002/aur.70051","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70051","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) focused on idiopathic social communication delay (SCD) in the first year of life are rare. We preliminarily tested the efficacy of an 8-week caregiver-implemented intervention for infants with idiopathic SCD. Infants (8–12 months) with SCD were block-randomized with caregivers to the Infant Achievements (IA) (<i>n</i> = 18) or Caregiver Education (CE) (<i>n</i> = 20) group in this assessor-masked RCT. Assessments were completed at baseline, post-intervention, and 8-week follow-up. IA caregivers received reflective, home-based coaching to implement naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention (NDBI) strategies. Primary outcomes: masked ratings of caregiver implementation fidelity, frequency of infant initiation of joint attention (IJA), and percent of coordination of joint engagement (CJE). Secondary outcomes: masked researcher-administered and scored Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) language and Visual Reception scaled scores; nonmasked caregiver-reported Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Caregiver Questionnaire (CSBS CQ) Social, Speech, and Symbolic composite scores and McArthur-Bates Communication Development Inventories Words Understood and Produced scores. Prespecified analyses followed an intent-to-treat approach using Generalized Linear Mixed Models for non-normally distributed outcomes and linear mixed-effects models for those with normal distributions. Significant group by time effects favored the IA group relative to the CE group on all primary outcomes at post-intervention (<i>p</i>'s ≤ 0.001), and for caregiver fidelity and IJA, at follow-up (≤ 0.03). Significant IA intervention effects were detected on secondary outcomes of nonverbal cognition (MSEL Visual Reception) and CSBS CQ Speech composite at post-intervention (&lt; 0.01) and follow-up (≤ 0.02). IA equips caregivers to learn and generalize the implementation of child-responsive NDBI strategies and propels pre-linguistic social communication advances in SCD infants.</p>\u0000 <p>\u0000 <b>Trial Registration:</b> ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03404505.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"18 5","pages":"1104-1116"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144012134","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"First Impressions Towards Autistic People: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis","authors":"Lashindri C. Wanigasekera,&nbsp;Murray T. Maybery,&nbsp;Romina Palermo,&nbsp;Andrew J. O. Whitehouse,&nbsp;Diana Weiting Tan","doi":"10.1002/aur.70019","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70019","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Emerging evidence suggests that observers tend to form less favorable first impressions toward autistic people than toward non-autistic people. These negative impressions may be associated with immediate behavioral responses, as well as long-lasting attitudes toward those being observed that may negatively impact their psychosocial wellbeing. This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesized the existing literature that has compared first impressions toward autistic and non-autistic people to investigate whether first impressions are influenced by: (1) type of first impression measure, (2) modality of stimulus presentation, and (3) characteristics of the observers and/or stimulus participants. Key inclusion criteria were: (1) one or more groups of observers provided first impression ratings, (2) the stimuli were presented in either audio-only, video-only, audio–video, still image, or speech transcript format, and (3) first impressions toward autistic and non-autistic individuals were compared. A systematic search identified a final sample of 21 articles, which included 221 effects for analyses. Findings showed that first impressions were generally less favorable for autistic compared to non-autistic people across all presentation modalities other than speech transcript, with effect sizes typically moderate to large. Differences in first impressions toward autistic and non-autistic people were generally more pronounced for ratings of interpersonal attraction and social and communication presentation, rather than for ratings of psychological and personality traits. There was also some evidence that characteristics of non-autistic observers, such as autism knowledge and quality of contact with autistic people, impact first impressions. These findings provide insight into the critical role first impressions play in influencing social interaction between autistic and non-autistic individuals.</p>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"18 5","pages":"983-1010"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aur.70019","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144000399","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Age-Dependent Effects of Loss of Contactin-Associated Protein-Like 2, an Autism-Associated Gene, on the Acquisition and Recall of Fear Memory","authors":"R. J. Taugher-Hebl,&nbsp;A. Berns,&nbsp;M. Jones,&nbsp;A. Townsend,&nbsp;A. K. Eagen,&nbsp;Sarah L. Ferri,&nbsp;D. R. Langbehn,&nbsp;H. Janouschek","doi":"10.1002/aur.70034","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70034","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The <i>contactin-associated protein-like 2</i> (<i>Cntnap2</i>) gene is relevant to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which is associated with age-specific structural alterations in limbic brain regions. The <i>Cntnap2</i> gene encodes for the contactin-associated protein-like 2 (CASPR2) protein, and CASPR2 protein levels are high in the amygdala, a limbic region that is essential for the processing of fear and anxiety. In humans, reduced levels of this protein arising from CNTNAP2 mutations could potentially account for the autism-associated increase in fear and anxiety. Here, we report the extent to which loss of CASPR2 in mice contributes to the development of fear- and anxiety-related behaviors. Pavlovian fear conditioning experiments revealed that loss of CASPR2 has age-dependent effects on the acquisition of fear memory, recall of both cue-evoked and context-related fear memory, and stability of cue-evoked fear memory. Additionally, data from the elevated zero maze suggest that CASPR2 deficiency contributes to anxiety-related behaviors, especially in juvenile (29-day old) mice. These are the first reports of age-dependent effects of CASPR2 deficiency on fear and anxiety-related behaviors, and they set the stage for a better understanding of developmental alterations of fear and anxiety in ASD.</p>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"18 5","pages":"1011-1023"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aur.70034","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144042133","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Missed Early Intervention Opportunities for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder","authors":"Daniel E. Lidstone","doi":"10.1002/aur.70043","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70043","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Early intervention (EI) is essential for improving developmental outcomes in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, participation during the critical neurodevelopmental (0–3 years) period remains a challenge. To identify those factors associated with the participation of preschool children with ASD in EI before age 2, this study uses recent cross-sectional data from the 2021 to 2023 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH). Binary logistical regression analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with EI receipt before age 2, including age of ASD diagnosis, socioeconomic status (SES), race, ASD severity, biological sex, birth weight, and diagnosis of early indicators of future developmental delay (DD). The findings revealed that only 15% of preschool children with ASD received EI before age 2. Significant predictors of timely participation in Part C EI included an ASD diagnosis before age 2, higher SES, and lower birth weight. Findings also revealed that 15.5% of children who did not receive timely EI had severe ASD symptoms, highlighting the critical need to improve EI participation for these children. Potential solutions discussed include expanding the definition of DD, increasing the number of states recognizing low birth weight as a Part C EI diagnosis, reducing barriers to Part C EI participation for disadvantaged families, and developing more effective tools to detect ASD and DD earlier in development.</p>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"18 5","pages":"1097-1103"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aur.70043","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144014452","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Disrupted Resting-State Functional Connectivity in the Social Visual Pathway in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder","authors":"Chenhao Li,&nbsp;Haesoo Park,&nbsp;Jitendra Awasthi,&nbsp;Max Rolison,&nbsp;Mingfei Li,&nbsp;Dustin Scheinost,&nbsp;Katarzyna Chawarska,&nbsp;Michelle Hampson","doi":"10.1002/aur.70037","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70037","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The social visual pathway, which diverges from the dorsal pathway at the visual motion area (MT/V5) and runs from the posterior down to anterior portions of the superior temporal sulcus (STS), specializes in processing dynamic social information. This study examined resting-state functional connectivity within this pathway in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typically developing (TD) children. Using data from the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE) repository, we found significant hypoconnectivity between the posterior and middle STS (pSTS–mSTS) in the right hemisphere in children with ASD compared to those in TD children. Lower connectivity in this region of the pathway correlated with more severe social symptoms in ASD and higher indices of social communication vulnerabilities in the combined ASD and TD groups. These findings suggest that a specific disruption in the right hemisphere social visual pathway in children with ASD potentially contributes to their social difficulties.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"18 5","pages":"1024-1036"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143782154","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Epidemiology of Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementia Among Medicare and Medicaid Enrolled Autistic Adults, 2011–2019","authors":"Salina Tewolde,&nbsp;Samuel B. Rosenberg,&nbsp;Josue Antonio G. Estrada,&nbsp;Marcia Pescador Jimenez,&nbsp;Ashley Scott,&nbsp;Alianna Higgins,&nbsp;Eric Rubenstein","doi":"10.1002/aur.70035","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70035","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) are burdensome and lethal conditions that have been hypothesized to be related to autism through shared genetic etiologies and environmental risk factors. Our objective was to use longitudinal Medicaid and Medicare data to describe the epidemiology of ADRD in publicly insured autistic adults. We used all claims and encounters from 2011 to 2019 to identify autism and ADRD. We calculated prevalence, incidence, age at onset, and created survival curves. There were 90,229 autistic adults ≥ 30 years of age and enrolled for at least 1 year in Medicaid and/or Medicare and 267 ADRD cases. Prevalence of ADRD was 2.09% (95% CI: 1.99%, 2.20%) in 2011 and 8.11% (95% CI: 7.92%, 8.30%) in 2019. Mean age at ADRD onset was 59.3 years (SD: 14.2). Mean age among men was 58.3 years (SD: 13.8) and 61.0 years among females. Incidence of ADRD was higher in autistic adults with intellectual disability with no difference by sex. ADRD is a prevalent condition in middle- and older-aged adults identified with autism in the Medicaid and Medicare system. Understanding the diagnostic process and phenotype of ADRD will be important to improve identification and treatment.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"18 5","pages":"1077-1086"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143756185","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prenatal Maternal Alcohol Exposure During the First Trimester of Pregnancy in Relation to Early Learning Ability, Behavioral Problems, and Autistic Traits in Preschool Children With or Without Autism Spectrum Disorder","authors":"Lin H. Tian,&nbsp;Brain Barger,&nbsp;Karen Pazol,&nbsp;Laura A. Schieve,&nbsp;Jacquelyn Bertrand,&nbsp;Carolyn DiGuiseppi,&nbsp;April D. Summers,&nbsp;Alicia Dunajcik,&nbsp;Lucinda England,&nbsp;Tessa L. Crume,&nbsp;Lisa D. Wiggins","doi":"10.1002/aur.70025","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70025","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Prenatal alcohol exposure has been linked to adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. However, its effects on developmental outcomes in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remain unclear. We examined associations between prenatal alcohol exposure during the first trimester (PAE-FT) and early learning ability, behavioral problems, and severity of autistic traits in preschool-aged children in a large multi-site case–control study, the Study to Explore Early Development. Children were classified as ASD (<i>n</i> = 1237) or population comparison without ASD (POP, <i>n</i> = 1334) after an in-person assessment covering cognitive abilities and detailed autistic traits. Mothers completed questionnaires on their child's behavior and autism-related traits, as well as their alcohol use during pregnancy. Of children in the ASD and POP groups, 18.5% and 20.2%, respectively, were exposed to PAE-FT. Exposure to 3 or more alcoholic drinks per week was associated with increased externalizing behaviors (i.e., attention deficits and aggressive behaviors) in children in both the ASD and POP groups, and with exacerbated social communication and interaction deficits in children with ASD only. First trimester exposure to 1–2 alcoholic drinks per week was associated with early learning delays for children in the ASD group, but not the POP group. As expected, our findings suggest that PAE-FT is associated with adverse behavioral development of children regardless of ASD status. However, PAE-FT may exacerbate autism-specific developmental problems and learning difficulties in children with ASD. Gathering a prenatal alcohol exposure history for children with and without ASD could contribute to a better understanding of developmental trajectories, aiding informed decisions for interventions and support.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"18 5","pages":"1087-1096"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143756187","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"What Is Distinctive About Autism Arising Following Severe Institutional Deprivation? A Direct Comparison With a Community Sample of Early Diagnosed Autistic People","authors":"Maria Rodriguez-Perez,&nbsp;Susie Chandler,&nbsp;Mark Kennedy,&nbsp;Tony Charman,&nbsp;Emily Simonoff,&nbsp;Edmund Sonuga-Barke","doi":"10.1002/aur.70026","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70026","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In the English and Romanian Adoptees study, a substantial proportion of adoptees who suffered extended severe deprivation (26 of 101) displayed autistic characteristics termed quasi-autism (QA). Here we directly compare this group with a community sample of early diagnosed autistic individuals (community autism; CA). First, we characterized the QA autism symptom profile (61.5% females) by calculating which of the 32 Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) items were statistically more common in the QA group than in a control group of 52 non-deprived UK adoptees (UK Control, 34.6% females) at ages 11, 15, and/or 23 years of age. The latent structure of these QA-characteristic items was explored using confirmatory factor analyses. Second, we compared the QA symptom profiles with CA profiles using a sample from the QUEST study (Salazar et al. 2015). To do this, we identified two QUEST groups, one aged 11 years on average (<i>n</i> = 21) and one aged 15 years (<i>n</i> = 24). The former were compared to ERA SCQ scores at age 11, and the latter at age 15. Nineteen SCQ items were statistically significantly more common in the QA group than in the ERA UK control group at ages 11 and 15. Ten differences persisted into adulthood. These QA-characteristic items ranged across and mapped onto all three standard SCQ domains (social reciprocity, communication, repetitive and stereotyped behaviors). The age 11 CA group scored higher than QA at 11 years across each subscale when all items were considered. However, when only QA-characteristic items were included, only scores for the Repetitive and Stereotyped subscale differentiated QA and CA. When the age 15 comparison was made, no differences were found between CA and QA subscales. QA and CA were associated with similar levels of emotional and conduct problems and overactivity/inattention levels. QA shared many features with CA. QA difficulties extended across all autism domains and were associated to a similar degree with emotional and behavioral problems. However, there were some distinctive elements. Compared to the classic autism profile, the communication domain mainly comprised persistent abnormalities of linguistic expression. In contrast, social reciprocity problems were diffuse, less severe, and declined over time. QA-characteristic repetitive and stereotyped behaviors are broadly expressed and endure into adulthood.</p>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"18 5","pages":"1062-1076"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aur.70026","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143712298","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Household Income, Maternal Allostatic Load During Pregnancy, and Offspring With Autism Spectrum Disorders","authors":"Shuhei Terada,&nbsp;Shoji F. Nakayama,&nbsp;Takeo Fujiwara,&nbsp;The Japan Environment and Children's Study Group","doi":"10.1002/aur.70022","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70022","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Relative maternal poverty is a suggested social determinant of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in offspring; however, this association may be confounded by the maternal broader autism phenotype (BAP). The biological mechanisms underlying this association are largely understudied. We examined the association between household income during pregnancy and ASDs in offspring, adjusting for confounders including maternal BAP, and explored whether maternal chronic stress, measured by allostatic load (AL) during pregnancy, mediates this association. Data on 59,998 mother–child dyads were obtained from the Japan Environment and Children's Study, a nationwide birth cohort. Household income was categorized into tertiles (&lt; 4 million, 4–6 million, &gt; 6 million JPY) and offspring ASD diagnosis by age four was assessed via guardian's report. Bayesian logistic regression models indicated that mothers from low- and middle-income households had a 58% (95% credible interval [CI]: 28%–98%) and a 37% (95% CI: 12%–70%) higher risk of offspring ASDs, respectively, compared to those from high-income households. AL, defined as three or more out of 10 biomarkers in the highest risk quartile, did not mediate these associations. Low and middle household income during pregnancy was associated with a higher risk of ASD diagnosis, and high AL did not mediate this association.</p>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"18 4","pages":"881-890"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aur.70022","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143694630","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}