The DOI matches its Crossref record; 111 of the 112 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Prenatal stress and risk for autism
Open accessAbstract
This paper reviews several converging lines of research that suggest that prenatal exposure to environmental stress may increase risk for Autistic Disorder (AD). We first discuss studies finding that prenatal exposure to stressful life events is associated with significantly increased risk of AD, as well as other disorders, such as schizophrenia and depression. We then review evidence from animal and human studies that prenatal stress can produce both (a) abnormal postnatal behaviors that resemble the defining symptoms of AD, and (b) other abnormalities that have elevated rates in AD, such as learning deficits, seizure disorders, perinatal complications, immunologic and neuroinflammatory anomalies, and low postnatal tolerance for stress. We explain why an etiologic role for prenatal stress is compatible with genetic factors in AD, and describe how stress can disrupt fetal brain development. Finally, we discuss implications for understanding underlying processes in AD, including potential gene-environment interactions, and developing new therapies and early prevention programs.
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“The prevalence of maternal psychosocial distress has been connected to both daily life events and environmental hardships [7, 8].”
From Brain structural and functional outcomes in the offspring of women experiencing psychological distress during pregnancy (2024) · cites this paper as [8]
Citations
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Metadata
- Authors
- KINNEY, D., MUNIR, K., CROWLEY, D., & MILLER, A.
- Affiliations
- Harvard University (US)
- McLean Hospital (US)
- Corresponding author
- KINNEY, D
- ORCID
- CROWLEY, D
- Venue
- Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2008-10
- Volume
- 32
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 1519-1532
- ISSN
- 0149-7634 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC2632594
- OpenAlex
- W2025653580
- Cited by
- 440
- References
- 112
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 28 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 23 · 2021: 33 · 2020: 28 · 2019: 20 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 35 · 2016: 33 · 2015: 32 · 2014: 28 · 2013: 45 · 2012: 32
- FWCI
- 6.97
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health (MH 071286, R25MH071286)
- Fogarty International Center (D43TW005807)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Family and Disability Support Research
- Keywords
- prenatal stress, autism spectrum disorder, autistic disorder, environmental stressors, life events, schizophrenia, depression, learning deficits, epilepsy, perinatal complications, neuroinflammation, stress tolerance, fetal brain development, gene-environment interaction, autism etiology, prevention
- MeSH terms
- Autistic Disorder, Female, Humans, Male, Parent-Child Relations, Pregnancy, Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects, Risk, Stress, Psychological
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