Autism Risk can be Measured Based on Placenta Abnormalities at Birth: Study

First Posted: Apr 25, 2013 05:06 AM EDT

A novel technique developed by researchers at the Yale School of Medicine helps predict an infant's risk of developing autism.

The study, published in Biological Psychiatry, measures the risk of developing autism by checking the presence of abnormalities in the placenta at birth. Based on this early diagnosis, researchers can initiate an early treatment to cure the developmental disorder.

Reports according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that ever year, 1 out of 50 children is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, the average age of diagnosis in children is 3 or 4.

The study was conducted by senior author Dr. Harvey Kliman, research scientist in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at the Yale School of Medicine, and research collaborators at the MIND Institute at the University of California, Davis.

Researchers have discovered two key markers that help in detecting the risk of autism in newborns. These are: folding of the abnormal placenta and abnormal cell growth, called trophoblast inclusions.

The study was conducted on families that were participating in a study called Markers of Autism Risk in Babies- Learning Early Signs. The researchers observed 117 placentas from infants of at-risk families, in which one or more of their previous kids suffer from autism. The placentas were compared to 100 control placentas.

They noticed that at-risk placentas consisted of nearly 15 trophoblast inclusions. On the other hand, the control placentas had not more than two trophoblast inclusions. According to Kliman, infants with four or more trophoblast inclusions had up to 96.7 percent risk for autism.

"I hope that diagnosing the risk of developing autism by examining the placenta at birth will become routine, and that the children who are shown to have increased numbers of trophoblast inclusions will have early interventions and an improved quality of life as a result of this test," he concluded saying.

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