New MRC study to look at the role of environmental risks in development of autism

Main Category: Autism
Article Date: 08 Jul 2004 - 13:00 PDT

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Funding for a new study to find out more about the role of environmental risks in the development of autism and autism spectrum disorders (ASD), was announced by The Medical Research Council (MRC) today, Thursday 8 July. It is one of four new awards for research projects using a variety of approaches to study autism.

The environmental research, led by Professor Jean Golding at the University of Bristol, will investigate the association of ASD with immunisations, problems with delivery, maternal and infant infections, fetal exposure to toxins, and maternal diet. Whether other conditions, such as coeliac disease or digestive problems, play a role in the development of ASD will also be considered.

The £400K study will be one of the largest investigations of environmental risk factors in ASD and will analyse lifestyle and genetic influences by studying data from the 14,000 children already taking part in the 'Children of the 90s' study. The 'Children of the 90s study' was set up to understand the ways in which the physical and social environment interact with genetic inheritance to affect children's health, behaviour and development.

Professor Golding said:

"Because of the number of children we'll be looking at, and the quality and type of data available, our study should help find the answers to a number of currently unanswered questions about the environmental risks for developing autism spectrum disorders."

Overall the awards total £1.6M for autism research. They have been funded out of the £2.75M allocated by the Department of Health and the Scottish Executive to take forward the recommendations of the 2001 MRC Review on Autism. The remaining funds will be used to support more grants in the near future.

The other three high-quality projects funded include a collaborative brain imaging study, led by Professor Declan Murphy at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, aimed at unravelling the differences in brain function that give rise to ASD, and studies led by Dr Kate Nation, at the University of Oxford, and Dr Tony Charman, at the Institute of Child Health, London, to understand more about how cognition, or the ability to take on board and process information, relates to behaviour in people with ASD.

Health Minister, Dr Stephen Ladyman, said:

"It is very important to take forward good quality research into autistic spectrum disorders. I warmly welcome the MRC's announcement about funding for these four interesting projects."

Professor Colin Blakemore, Chief Executive of the MRC, said:

"I'm very pleased to announce the funding of this important research. The MRC's 2001 Review of Autism Research, identified some of the successes in autism research but also highlighted current gaps in knowledge. These wide ranging, high-quality studies are the first to be funded out of the money allocated by the Department of Health and the Scottish Executive, specifically to address those gaps."

The MRC has always funded research into autism through its own grant schemes, and it is currently spending around £1.3m a year. It will continue to do so outside of the Department of Health and Scottish Executive funding allocation.

Further information
For further information, or to arrange an interview, contact the MRC Press Office on 020 7637 6011

Notes to editors

ALSPAC, The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, (also known as the Children of the 90s) is a unique ongoing research project based in the University of Bristol. It enrolled 14,000 mothers during pregnancy in 1991-2 and has followed the children and parents in minute detail ever since.

Professor Declan Murphy, of the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, will use imaging techniques to examine the differences in the brain anatomy of adults with autism, compared with adults who do not have autism, to see if the symptoms of autism result from particular brain abnormalities, and if so what causes them. The study involves the establishment of a multi-centre collaboration, which brings together, for the first time, people with autism and expert teams in genetics, psychology, medicine, and neuroimaging. The work will provide a platform for future work to understand how brain abnormalities arise and change over time, and how this is affected by genetic and environmental factors.

Dr Kate Nation, of the University of Oxford, will use a new methodology to explore language and communication in people with ASD. This is important because little is currently known about how well language is processed and understood across the autistic spectrum, especially in those with no speech. In the short term, improved evaluation of language processing will help target the most appropriate treatments for individuals, and, in the long term, will provide a basis for identifying and understanding the links between genes, brain development and behaviour.

Dr Tony Charman, of the Institute of Child Health, aims to understand more about how cognition, or the ability to take on board and process information, in people with ASD relates to their behaviour. The study of 130 twelve year olds will look at whether, and to what extent, impairments in different aspects of cognition, such as processing emotions or social orientation, are associated with the core behavioural features of ASDs, such as repetitive behaviours and difficulties in communicating. Through this, different subgroups of patients may be identified making it easier to target the most appropriate treatments for them.

The MRC Review of Autism Research was published in December 2001.

Medical Research Council

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