Possible connection between flame retardants and autism in animal study

June 1, 2012

A new study from UC Davis found that female mice exposed to a component of the pentaBDE flame retardant in the womb showed changes in their brains, impaired learning, memory and reduced sociability as adults. The mother mice were from a special strain that models Rett’s Syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder. These results suggest that environmental PBDE exposures may increase the risk of autism in the genetically-susceptible.

Read more in Environmental Health News.

Full reference:

Woods, R., Vallero, R. O., Golub, M. S., Suarez, J. K., Ta, T. A., Yasui, D. H., … LaSalle, J. M. (2012). Long-lived epigenetic interactions between perinatal PBDE exposure and Mecp2308 mutation. Human molecular genetics, 21(11), 2399–411. doi:10.1093/hmg/dds046