TY - JOUR
T1 - Potential Sex Differences Relative to Autism Spectrum Disorder and Metals
AU - Dickerson, Aisha S.
AU - Rotem, Ran S.
AU - Christian, MacKinsey K.A.
AU - Nguyen, Vy T.
AU - Specht, Aaron J.
N1 - Funding Information:
Aisha S. Dickerson is supported by NIH training grant NIH T32 ES007069. Vy T. Nguyen is supported by NIH training grant NIH T42 OH008416. Aaron Spect is supported under NIH grants R01ES024165 and R21ES024700. Acknowledgments
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017, Springer International Publishing AG.
PY - 2017/12/1
Y1 - 2017/12/1
N2 - Purpose of review: This study aims to summarize the current body of literature on the relationship between various toxic metals exposures (i.e., aluminum, antimony, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, lead, manganese, and nickel) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with a focus on potential sex differences in these associations. Recent findings: Sex differences in ASD diagnosis and mutagenic effects of toxic exposures indicate that sex differences may play a major part in the causal relationship of any potential associations seen; however, we were only able to find three studies that reported on sex differences in observed associations with toxic metals exposure and ASD. We also found several studies investigating associations between ASD and metals exposures, including 11 on aluminum, 6 on antimony, 15 on arsenic, 5 on beryllium, 17 on cadmium, 11 on chromium, 25 on lead, 14 on manganese, and 13 on nickel with markers of exposure in hair, urine, blood, teeth, fingernails, and air pollution. Results for each metal were conflicting, but studies on cadmium and lead yielded the highest proportion of studies with positive results (72% and 36%, respectively). Summary: Based on our examination of existing literature, the current evidence warrants a considerable need for evaluations of sex differences in future studies assessing the association between metals exposures and ASD. Additionally, failure to account for potential sex differences could result in bias and misinterpretation of exposure-disease relationships.
AB - Purpose of review: This study aims to summarize the current body of literature on the relationship between various toxic metals exposures (i.e., aluminum, antimony, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, lead, manganese, and nickel) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with a focus on potential sex differences in these associations. Recent findings: Sex differences in ASD diagnosis and mutagenic effects of toxic exposures indicate that sex differences may play a major part in the causal relationship of any potential associations seen; however, we were only able to find three studies that reported on sex differences in observed associations with toxic metals exposure and ASD. We also found several studies investigating associations between ASD and metals exposures, including 11 on aluminum, 6 on antimony, 15 on arsenic, 5 on beryllium, 17 on cadmium, 11 on chromium, 25 on lead, 14 on manganese, and 13 on nickel with markers of exposure in hair, urine, blood, teeth, fingernails, and air pollution. Results for each metal were conflicting, but studies on cadmium and lead yielded the highest proportion of studies with positive results (72% and 36%, respectively). Summary: Based on our examination of existing literature, the current evidence warrants a considerable need for evaluations of sex differences in future studies assessing the association between metals exposures and ASD. Additionally, failure to account for potential sex differences could result in bias and misinterpretation of exposure-disease relationships.
KW - Autism
KW - Environmental exposures
KW - Markers of exposure
KW - Metabolism
KW - Metals
KW - Sex differences
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85042463034&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85042463034&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s40572-017-0164-x
DO - 10.1007/s40572-017-0164-x
M3 - Review article
C2 - 28988324
AN - SCOPUS:85042463034
SN - 2196-5412
VL - 4
SP - 405
EP - 414
JO - Current environmental health reports
JF - Current environmental health reports
IS - 4
ER -