Emerging research is shedding light on the relationship between prenatal exposure to environmental chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA) and the development of neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). BPA, an endocrine-disrupting compound commonly found in plastics, may disrupt hormonal pathways critical for early brain development. A key player in this disruption appears to be the brain aromatase enzyme, which regulates the conversion of androgens to estrogens and influences neurodevelopment.
In this EDC Strategies Partnership webinar, Dr. Anne-Louise Ponsonby will present findings from a study conducted in the Barwon Infant Study birth cohort (n = 1,074). The research found that higher prenatal BPA levels are associated with increased ASD symptoms at age 2 and an ASD diagnosis by age 9 in males with low aromatase genetic pathway activity scores. The study also found that prenatal BPA exposure predicted higher methylation across a genetic region that is linked to aromatase gene activity. Laboratory studies found that this methylation mediates the association between prenatal BPA exposure and changes in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) methylation, an essential component of neuroplasticity and synaptic function.
This research provides critical insights into how BPA may impair brain aromatase function, contributing to ASD-related behaviors and brain abnormalities in males.
Featured Speakers
Dr. Anne-Louise Ponsonby is an epidemiologist and public health physician. She has extensive experience in the design, conduct and analysis of population-based studies, and public health translation. She is co-PI of a large birth cohort of over 10,000 infants that generated knowledge leading to a decline in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) incidence. In Australia, SIDS deaths declined by 80%, from 1.9 per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 0.2 live births in 2012 (Australian Bureau Statistics 2013). More recently, Ponsonby’s work has been on combining population epidemiologic approaches with system biology, an approach she outlined in Nature (2014). Ponsonby is using this approach, within population-based studies, to investigate multiple sclerosis and early brain development. In particular, a current focus of her work is to use this comprehensive approach to better understand the possible adverse impact of some modern chemicals on brain development in early life. Ponsonby has 427 publications and has contributed to three patents. Ponsonby is on the research committee for the International Paediatric Multiple Sclerosis Study Group and part of several international collaborations.
This webinar will be hosted by the EDC Strategies Partnership, which is co-chaired by Sharyle Patton (Commonweal Biomonitoring Resource Center), Jerry Heindel and Sarah Howard (Environmental Health Sciences' Healthy Environment and Endocrine Disruptor Strategies, HEEDS), Génon Jensen (Health and Environment Alliance, HEAL), and Rachel Massey (Collaborative for Health and Environment, CHE). To see a full list of past calls and webinars related to EDCs and listen to or view recordings, please visit our partnership page.