Strathearn, L.; Momany, A.; Kovács, E.H.; Guiler, W.; Ladd-Acosta, C. The Intersection of Genome, Epigenome and Social Experience in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Exploring Modifiable Pathways for Intervention. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory 2023, 202, 107761, doi:10.1016/j.nlm.2023.107761.
Strathearn, L.; Momany, A.; Kovács, E.H.; Guiler, W.; Ladd-Acosta, C. The Intersection of Genome, Epigenome and Social Experience in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Exploring Modifiable Pathways for Intervention. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory 2023, 202, 107761, doi:10.1016/j.nlm.2023.107761.
Strathearn, L.; Momany, A.; Kovács, E.H.; Guiler, W.; Ladd-Acosta, C. The Intersection of Genome, Epigenome and Social Experience in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Exploring Modifiable Pathways for Intervention. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory 2023, 202, 107761, doi:10.1016/j.nlm.2023.107761.
Strathearn, L.; Momany, A.; Kovács, E.H.; Guiler, W.; Ladd-Acosta, C. The Intersection of Genome, Epigenome and Social Experience in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Exploring Modifiable Pathways for Intervention. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory 2023, 202, 107761, doi:10.1016/j.nlm.2023.107761.
Abstract
The number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has increased substantially over the past two decades with current research unable to fully account for this dramatic increase in prevalence. One explanation proposes that both intrinsic (e.g., genetic) and extrinsic (e.g., environmental) risk factors may be involved in the etiology of ASD. The goal of this review paper is to explore modifiable pathways for intervention in children at risk for ASD, specifically examining how early social experience may be correlated with epigenetic change in genes associated with autism. We present an innovative model which proposes that polygenic risk and social experience (via epigenetic mechanisms) may both contribute to the observed ASD phenotype. Previous research on genetic, environmental, and epigenetic mechanisms implicated in the etiology of ASD will be reviewed, with an emphasis on the oxytocin receptor gene, which is epigenetically altered by early social experience, plays a crucial role in mammalian social and cognitive development, and is associated with both genetic and epigenetic risk for ASD. Identifying intrinsic (e.g., genetic) and extrinsic (e.g., social experience) risk markers for ASD, a combination of which has not previously been examined, would transform our understanding of this condition, facilitate earlier identification of ASD risk, and guide early intervention efforts. This may have a far-reaching impact on individuals with ASD, their families, and society.
Keywords
autism; ASD; epigenetics; DNA methylation; genetics; oxytocin; social experience
Subject
Biology and Life Sciences, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
