Air pollution could raise the risk of autism in people who are already predisposed to the condition.
"Our research shows that children with both the risk genotype and exposure to high air pollutant levels were at increased risk of autism spectrum disorder compared to those without the risk genotype and lower air pollution exposure," said the study's first author, Heather E. Volk, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of research in preventive medicine and pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and principal investigator at The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles said in a news release.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disability that involves struggles with social interaction along with communication problems and repetitive behavior. Medical researchers are unsure what triggers the condition, but genetics are believed to play a significant role.
"Although gene-environment interactions are widely believed to contribute to autism risk, this is the first demonstration of a specific interaction between a well-established genetic risk factor and an environmental factor that independently contribute to autism risk," Daniel B. Campbell, PhD,, assistant professor of psychiatry and the behavioral sciences at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and the study's senior author, said.
The team looked at 408 children between the ages of two and five who had participated in the Childhood Autism Risks From Genetics and the Environment Study. Out of those subjects, 252 were believed to suffer from Autism Spectrum Disorder. The information included where the mother and child currently lived and had resided in the past along with genetic information.
The MET gene variant has been linked to autism in past studies. The gene controls brain and immune system expression and can predict altered brain function. The team hopes to replicate these past findings to determine how environmental factors link to autism.
Past studies have found associations between the MIT gene variant, autism, and environmental pollution.
"The current study suggests that air pollution exposure and the genetic variant interact to augment the risk of ASD," the news release reported.
