Search For Causes And Early Markers For Autism Begins In Pregnancy

Main Category: Autism
Also Included In: Biology / Biochemistry;  Conferences
Article Date: 09 Aug 2007 - 6:00 PDT

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What: Pregnant women and new mothers who already have one child with autism joined UC Davis researchers and officials from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as they announced funding of $7.5 million for UC Davis autism research. Part of the funding will go to a new autism study called MARBLES (Markers of Autism Risk in Babies--Learning Early Signs), which begins the search for causes and early markers for the disorder during pregnancy.

Who: A participant in the pilot phase of MARBLES talked about why she became involved in the study.

* Irva Hertz-Picciotto, an expert on how environmental chemicals affect child development and MARBLES principal investigator, shared her inspiration for launching the study, insights from the pilot phase of the study, various assessments involved and expected outcomes.

* Isaac Pessah, a molecular bioscientist and director of the UC Davis Center for Children's Environmental Health, which sponsors MARBLES, talked about the center's commitment to research that aims to discover the connections between environmental toxins and the onset of autism.

* Wayne Nastri, regional administrator for U.S. EPA Region 9, and Cindy Lawler, health science administrator for the NIEHS, discussed their ongoing funding for and collaboration with the center to fund unique autism research.

Conference ID: 10973037

Topic: MARBLES Study Leader name: Karen Finney

Why: Autism is a pervasive, lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder that causes poor verbal and communication skills, repetitive behaviors and impaired social abilities. It is estimated that one in every 150 children in the United States currently has autism or a closely related disorder. The UC Davis Center for Children's Environmental Health is a multi-disciplinary research center dedicated to finding how toxic chemicals affect child development, including autism.

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Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
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Source: Karen Finney
University of California, Davis - Health System