Placental Vascular Tree as Biomarker of Autism/ASD Risk
Abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) encompasses a range of complex developmental disorders characterized by variable challenges to social, emotional and communication abilities. Given evidence that angiogenesis drives neurogenesis, we have measured the placenta, a fetal organ commonly discarded at birth as medical waste, in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Placental chorionic surface shape and cord insertion centrality are less variable in ALSPAC ASD cases compared to controls, These shape features also differ by specific ASD phenotypes. We have demonstrated significant alterations in branching, and in linear extension/outgrowth of placental chorionic surface vessels in ALSPAC ASD cases compared to controls, and found these effects to be greater in arterial as compared to venous networks. The above two results have been replicated in comparisons of a high ASD risk (Early Autism Risk Longitudinal Investigation, EARLI and a low ASD cohort of the National Children s Study (NCS). Finally, we have found that the placental chorionic plate surface vessels have a different relationship to the subjacent placental villous tree, with reduced maximal thickness (a proxy for villous arborization) and reduced variability for surface vessels of similar calibers in ALSPAC ASD cases compared to controls. The placenta in ASD (ALSPAC), and in high ASD risk children (EARLI), is measurably different from controls without identified eurodevelopmental handicap (ALSPAC) or low risk contemporary cohorts (NCS) controls. The findings all point to a placenta with branching growth that is more constrained and less flexible in ASD than those of controls or low risk newborns.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA590415
Entities
People
- Carolyn M. Salafia
- Dawn P. Misra
- Michael Yampolsky
- Theresa Girardi
Organizations
- Research Foundation For Mental Hygiene