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Sex-specific impacts of prenatal bisphenol A exposure on genes associated with cortical development, social behaviors, and autism in the offspring’s prefrontal cortex
Summary
Researchers found that prenatal exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) — a chemical found in some plastics and food can linings — disrupted the expression of genes in the prefrontal cortex linked to brain development, social behavior, and autism spectrum disorder, with the effects differing significantly between male and female offspring. The findings suggest BPA exposure during pregnancy may contribute to sex differences observed in autism-related brain changes.
This is the first study to show that prenatal BPA exposure dysregulated the expression of ASD-related genes and functions, including cortical neuritogenesis and development and social behaviors, in a sex-dependent manner. Our findings suggest that, besides the hippocampus, BPA could also exert its adverse effects through sex-specific molecular mechanisms in the offspring's prefrontal cortex, which in turn would lead to sex differences in ASD-related neuropathology and clinical manifestations, which deserves further investigation.