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Association between abnormal fetal head growth and autism spectrum disorder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2021

O. Regev ,
G. Cohen ,
A. Hadar ,
G. Meiri ,
H. Flusser ,
A. Michaelovski ,
I. Dinstein ,
R. Hershkovitz  and
I. Menashe
O. Regev
Affiliation:
Department Of Public Health, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
G. Cohen
Affiliation:
Department Of Public Health, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
A. Hadar
Affiliation:
Department Of Obsetrics And Gynecology, Clalit Health Services, Beer Sheva, Israel
G. Meiri
Affiliation:
Child Psychiatry, Soroka Unversity Medical Center, Beer Sheva, Israel
H. Flusser
Affiliation:
Child Development Center, Soroka University Medical Center, Beer Sheva, Israel
A. Michaelovski
Affiliation:
Child Development Center, Soroka University Medical Center, Beer Sheva, Israel
I. Dinstein
Affiliation:
Department Of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
R. Hershkovitz
Affiliation:
Department Of Obsetrics And Gynecology, Soroka University Medical Center, Beer Sheva, Israel
I. Menashe*
Affiliation:
Department Of Public Health, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

Despite evidence for the prenatal onset of abnormal head growth in ASD children, studies on fetal ultrasound data in ASD are limited and controversial.

Objectives

To understand whether people with ASD have abnormal head growth during gestation

Methods

A longitudinal matched case-sibling-control study on prenatal ultrasound biometric measures of ASD children was conducted. Children with ASD were matched to two control groups: (1) typically developed sibling (TDS) and (2) typically developed population (TDP). The cohort comprised 528 children (72.7% males): 174 ASD, 178 TDS, and 176 TDP.

Results

Second-trimester ASD and TDS fetuses had significantly smaller biparietal diameter (BPD) than TDP fetuses (aORzBPD=0.685, 95%CI=0.527-0.890 and aORzBPD=0.587, 95%CI=0.459-0.751, respectively). However, these differences became statistically indistinguishable in the third trimester. Head biometric measures were associated with the sex of the fetus, with males having larger heads than females within and across groups. A linear mixed-effect model assessing the effects of sex and group assignment on fetal longitudinal head growth indicated faster BPD growth in TDS vs both ASD and TDP in males (β=0.084 and β=0.100 respectively; p<0.001) but not in females, suggesting an ASD–sex interaction in head growth during gestation. Fetal head shape showed sex-specific characteristics, and head growth was inversely correlated with ASD severity in males and females, thus further supporting the sex effect on the association between fetal head growth and ASD.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that abnormal fetal head growth is a familial trait of ASD, which is modulated by sex and is associated with the severity of the disorder.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Keywords

autism spectrum disorderPrenatal UltrasoundBrain Development
Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 64 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 29th European Congress of Psychiatry , April 2021 , pp. S130 - S131
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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