Developing Understanding of ASD

With autism, or ASD for autism spectrum disorder, being a large and vast spectrum as a disorder, there is still much to explore about how it works and how it affects the brain. Many researchers have decided to look further into this disorder in hopes to better understand it. Some researchers actually begin their search before the baby is born, trying to see if there is something about the prenatal stage that would lead to autism. 

In her article “Risk on Offspring With Prenatal Use of Medication Affecting Neurotransmitter System,” Emily Pond discussed about a research that was conducted to study children with ASD and whether or not they were exposed to medications prenatally. Sure enough, the researchers discovered that the use of antagonists on the acetylcholine alpha receptors puts an individual at higher risk of ASD. Within the research as well, it seems that medications specifically taken by the mother will then also affect development of the child, which makes sense. However, they found out that antidepressants and antipsychotic medications do not affect the risks of ASD. While they may not specific exactly what types of medicine can increase the risks, Pond notes the use of antagonists being a source of risks, and that adds onto the little knowledge known about autism. 

Perhaps Emily Pond’s findings from the research can help explain the mutations that are seen in researcher Maggie Guy’s works. In her own research about ASD, Guy focuses on genetic predispositions in an infant to develop ASD. She points to certain factors that could point to later development to ASD, specifically two: by looking at infant siblings of children and seeing if they have ASD as well as whether or not the infant as the fragile X chromosome, which puts individuals at a higher risk of developing ASD. While both are methods of predetermining the risk rates of developing ASD, it may be possible that Emily Pond’s findings in her article may help explain the genetic changes in Maggie Guy’s works. 

While there are various research groups at the moment, along with these two, attempting to further our understanding of how ASD works, there is still more to learn. However, by learning from one another, we can synthesize a better and stronger understanding of ASD and eventually, be able to fully understand ASD. Then, people can be better informed about ASD and develop more resources for those with ASD or those supporting a person with ASD. 

References

1. Guy, Maggie & Richards, John & Tonnsen, Bridgette & Roberts, Jane. (2018). Neural correlates of face processing in etiologically-distinct 12-month-old infants at high-risk of autism spectrum disorder. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. 29. 61-71. 10.1016/j.dcn.2017.03.002. 
2. Pond, Emily. “ASD Risk on Offspring With Prenatal Use of Medication Affecting Neurotransmitter System.” Psychiatry Advisor, 4 Dec. 2018, www.psychiatryadvisor.com/autism-spectrum-disorders/asd-prenatal-exposure-medication-association/article/817347/.