Microplastics & Autism

Do you know there has been a recent increase in the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with the increase in environmental pollution in the past 10 years?

In this regard, Javeria Zaheer and his colleagues from Korea hypothesized that exposure to microplastics is a potential risk factor for ASD. To evaluate the validity of this hypothesis, they initially examined the accumulation of polyethylene (PE) in the brains of mice and then assessed the behavioral effects using mouse models at different life stages, i.e. prenatal, post-weaning, puberty and Adults models. Based on typical behavioral assessments of autistic traits in the model mice, it was established that ASD-like traits are induced in mice after PE feeding. In addition, they also examined the induction of ASD-like traits in response to microplastic exposure using positron emission tomography, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, microarray and microbiome analysis. The team believes these findings provide evidence in microplastics as a potential risk factor for ASD.

Ref: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2022.107121

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