Autistic disorders affect a large number of people in France. 1 in 100 children are born with autism. Researchers have found a link between these disorders and daddy’s sperm. It seems that molecular factors in some sperms could be the cause.
April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day. You should know that in France, according to theNational Institute of Health and Medical Research, 700,000 people suffer from Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and 80,000 have autism. Each year, 8,000 children, or 1 in 100, are born with autistic disorders. Autism is a disorder that primarily affects communication and social interactions, behavior patterns, sensory functioning, and thinking patterns.
Even though the diagnosis is often made late, scientists are still looking for a cause for this disorder. And it may well be that a serious lead has been found in the molecular factors of the paternal sperm, according to the IVI Foundation. It looks like autism could come from daddy’s semen.
Early detection of ASD
A study carried out by the IVI Foundation, in collaboration with the University of Valencia and the University of Washington, named “Sperm DNA Methylation Epimutation Biomarker for Paternal Offspring Autism Susceptibility”Revealed that autistic disorder could be linked to daddy’s semen. The researchers actually noticed a set of “specific” biomarkers in regions of DNA methylation – methylation is a modification of DNA – which could transform the capacity of sperm. Scientists found these biomarkers in semen samples from men whose children had an autism spectrum.
The scientific words used are quite complex to understand, but we must simply remember that in men who are the father of children with ASD or autism, researchers have found certain “pollutants” in their semen, a possible cause of the disorder.
“These biomarkers are epigenetic, meaning that they involve changes in molecular factors that regulate genome activity, such as gene expression, regardless of DNA sequence, and in some cases not only would cause the autism in offspring, but could also be passed on to future generations”, Explains Dr. Nicolás Garrido, director of the IVI Foundation and author of the study.
Is it possible to know if a man is a carrier of these biomarkers in advance?
In a second step of the study, the researchers were able to determine which sperm samples, out of a set of “problematic” samples, came from parents of children with autism. The results are 90% assured. A real breakthrough!
“In the future, this will allow us to assess whether a man has a high risk of having a child with ASD. This is a big step forward towards identifying the factors that can trigger this disease, as well as creating prevention strategies, given that in some cases there are treatments to correct certain epigenetic disorders.”, Announces Doctor Garrido.
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Cecile Fischer
First a fashion student, Cécile slowly turned to journalism, which she found more sincere. She is an editor for aufeminin and Parole de mamans, proud to write for committed media. A …