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Medscape
3 days ago
- General
- Medscape
Autism Linked to Fourfold Increase in Parkinson's Disease
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is linked to a fourfold increased risk for early-onset Parkinson's disease (PD), results from the largest, population-based cohort study of its kind to date showed. The findings indicated 'that there can be shared biological drivers behind ASD and Parkinson's disease,' study investigator, Weiyao Yin, MD, PhD, of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, said in a release. 'One hypothesis is that the brain's dopamine system is affected in both cases, since the neurotransmitter dopamine plays an important part in social behavior and motion control,' Yin added. The study was published online on May 27 in JAMA Neurology . A Plausible Link Recent research pointed to a plausible biological link between ASD and PD. However, large, longitudinal studies investigating the risk for PD following an ASD diagnosis are scarce, the researchers noted. 'Our study is the first population-based study, to our knowledge, using prospectively collected data, longitudinal design, and life-course approach to strengthen the inference,' they wrote. To investigate they used national registry data from more than 2 million individuals born in Sweden between 1974 and 1999 and followed them from age 20 years up to the end of 2022. The median age at study exit was 34 years. Within this cohort, they identified 51,954 individuals with ASD and 2,226,611 individuals without the disorder. PD, defined as a first-ever diagnosis of PD or other idiopathic or degenerative parkinsonian disorders, was identified in 438 individuals without ASD (0.02%; 1.3 cases per 100,000 person-years) and in 24 individuals with ASD (0.05%; 3.9 cases per 100,000 person-years), corresponding to a relative risk (RR) of 4.43. Depression and antidepressant use were present in 46.7% of individuals with ASD, and antipsychotic use, which can cause Parkinson-like symptoms, was present in 31.5%. Adjusting for depression and antipsychotic use reduced but did not eliminate the association between ASD and PD risk (RR, 3.10 and RR, 2.00, respectively). Independent of ASD diagnosis, a history of depression and exposure to antipsychotics were linked to a significantly higher risk for PD (RR, 2.01 and RR, 6.34, respectively). Preterm or early-term birth is a known risk factor for ASD, prompting an examination of its potential association with PD. However, no increased risk for PD was found compared with individuals born at full term. After adjusting for sex, socioeconomic status, and parental mental illness or PD, the investigators found ASD remained consistently associated with an increased risk for PD. There are potential biological explanations for the link, Yin told Medscape Medical News . 'One hypothesis suggests that the brain's dopamine system is impacted in both conditions, as the neurotransmitter dopamine plays a crucial role in social behavior and motor control,' Yin said. There may be a genetic correlation between the two conditions, she added noting that the PARK2 gene may be associated between ASD and early-onset PD. 'ASD is a lifelong condition, and more children with autism now progress into middle and older adulthood. Healthcare services need to provide long-term monitoring for individuals with ASD — a vulnerable group with high comorbidity and a high use of psychotropic medications,' Yin said. Experts Weigh In The study is clinically relevant 'mainly because it shows that neurodevelopmental conditions, like ASD, may be associated with clinical signs and diagnoses that may manifest at different ages, and we as clinicians should be aware of that,' Christos Ganos, MD, a neurologist at the Movement Disorders Clinic, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who was not involved with the study, told Medscape Medical News . 'Although neurodevelopmental disorders are diagnosed early in life, there is a need to assess for neurological symptoms and signs also later in life, including to monitor the effects of prescribed medications on neuromotor control,' added Ganos, who is the wolf chair in neurodevelopmental psychiatry, and associate professor of neurology at the University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. However, he urged caution in linking the specific diagnoses of ASD and PD, as there is a more general link between neurodevelopmental disorders and motor dysfunction. 'Neurodevelopmental disorders are very heterogeneous, and the 'ASD' diagnosis encompasses a lot of different disorders and etiologies. Some of these diagnoses/conditions are linked to motor syndromes that are specifically associated with motor slowing but are not PD, although they could resemble some of its features,' he explained. Strengths of the study include its large sample size and statistical power to provide estimates 'with more meaningful precision than prior studies,' said Connie Marras, MD, PhD, a movement disorders specialist, and professor of neurology at the University of Toronto. However, she noted that investigators did not include smoking in the models, which 'may result in an overestimation of the association between ASD and PD,' she added. 'Smoking is less common among individuals with ASD and may constitute a confounder. Smoking is also less common in individuals with Parkinson's disease and is considered a protective factor against PD.' She also questioned whether the results really have clinical implications for monitoring the emergence of parkinsonism in this population. 'Early detection does not have treatment implications currently, particularly since at present we don't have therapies for PD prevention or slowing of progression. Once we do have such treatments, then monitoring would be justified,' she said. However, the finding 'could have significant clinical and policy-related implications as these individuals age,' Gregory Wallace, PhD, an autism expert and associate professor of speech, language, and hearing sciences at The George Washington University, Washington, DC, who was not part of the study, told Medscape Medical News. 'Given increased rates of autism diagnoses in younger cohorts, if autistic people are at increased risk for developing parkinsonism as they age, the healthcare system and clinicians who provide care for autistic adults need to be prepared,' said Wallace. Wallace recently published research showing that co-occurring parkinsonism in adults with autism is linked with lower subjective quality of life, more memory problems, lower sleep quality, and greater depression symptoms.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Mirrorlights: Autistic patients at high risk of Parkinson's disease: Study
autism spectrum disorder People with autism could be at a higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease early in life, according to a large-scale study that showed similar underlying biological mechanisms of the from the Karolinska Institutet questioned a possible connection between the neuropsychiatric diagnosis of(ASD), which affects an individual's thought processes, behaviour, and interpersonal communication, and early-onset Parkinson's disease -- a condition that affects locomotion and results, published in JAMA Neurology, show that people with an autism diagnosis were four times more likely to develop Parkinson's disease than people without such a diagnosis.'This indicates that there can be shared biological drivers behind ASD and Parkinson's disease,' said Weiyao Yin, researcher at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet.'One hypothesis is that the brain's dopamine system is affected in both cases, since the neurotransmitter dopamine plays an important part in social behavior and motion control,' Yin study is based on registry data from over two million people born in Sweden between 1974 and 1999, who were followed from the ageof 20 up to the end of is well-known that dopamine-producing neurons are degraded in Parkinson's studies have also shown that dopamine is possibly implicated in autism, but more research needs to be done to confirm this.'We hope that our results will eventually help to bring greater clarity to the underlying causes of both ASD and Parkinson's disease,' Yin for more studies, the researchers urged healthcare services to keep people with ASD -- a vulnerable group with high co-morbidity and high use of psychotropics -- under long-term observation.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Parkinson's disease four times more likely among people with autism, study suggests
New Delhi: People with autism could be four times more likely to develop Parkinson's disease later in life, according to a study among Swedish population. Autism is a neuro-developmental disorder affecting thought processes and social behaviour. It is diagnosed in early childhood, while Parkinson's disease is ageing-related neuro-degeneration, in which one experiences tremors in limbs and affected movement. "This indicates that there can be shared biological drivers behind ASD ( autism spectrum disorder ) and Parkinson's disease," first author Weiyao Yin, a researcher at the department of medical epidemiology and biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, said. The study, published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Neurology, analysed data from more than 22 lakh people born in the country between 1974 and 1999, who were followed from the age of 20 up to the end of 2022. Findings "suggest a potential shared etiology between neuro-developmental disorders and PD (Parkinson's disease), warranting increased awareness of long-term neurological conditions in individuals with ASD," the authors wrote. Yin said, "One hypothesis is that the brain's dopamine system is affected in both cases, since the neurotransmitter (brain chemical) dopamine plays an important part in social behaviour and motion control." While there is considerable evidence that dopamine production is affected in Parkinson's disease, the role of dopamine in autism is not yet clear, even though studies have shown that the brain chemical is involved, the researchers said. The researchers also took into account the fact that people diagnosed with autism are commonly prescribed anti-depressants and anti-psychotic drugs, which can cause Parkinson's-like symptoms. The link between autism and Parkinson's disease became less pronounced, "but the risk was still double", the researchers said. "The healthcare services need to keep people with ASD -- a vulnerable group with high co-morbidity and a high use of psychotropics -- under long-term observation," last author Sven Sandin, a statistician and epidemiologist at the department of medical epidemiology and biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, said. "At the same time, it's important to remember that a Parkinson's diagnosis before the age of 50 is very rare, including for people with autism," Sandin said. The researchers pointed out that they only analysed early-onset Parkinson's disease before the age of 50 and that the average age of participants by the end of the study was 34. The incidence of Parkinson's disease was therefore very low -- 24 cases among 51,954 people with autism (0.05 per cent), and 438 among 22,26,611 people without autism (0.02 per cent). Future studies will need to examine if the elevated risk persists into older age, the team said. Global estimate of autism prevalence is one per cent, while in India, the estimate is 1.5 per cent, according to a 2023 study published in the Indian Journal of Pediatrics.
Business Wire
6 days ago
- Health
- Business Wire
The Six Winning Projects of the 12 th Edition of the IBSA Foundation Fellowships have been Awarded and the 2025 Call is Now Open
LUGANO, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research means investing in the future. This is the guiding principle behind the IBSA Foundation Fellowships programme, which for over a decade has supported talented researchers under 40 from universities and research institutions around the world. The programme awards grants to promote innovative and potentially groundbreaking projects in lesser-explored scientific fields; a constantly growing success, also confirmed by the 2024 edition, which marked a new record, with 259 applications across five scientific areas. "In a context where access to a scientific career is increasingly complex, our Fellowships serve as a tangible tool to support young researchers at a difficult time, promoting merit and innovation", stated Silvia Misiti, Director of IBSA Foundation Share The € 32,000 fellowships were awarded to research projects in five scientific areas: dermatology, endocrinology, fertility/urology, pain medicine/orthopaedics/rheumatology and healthy aging/regenerative medicine. In particular, this latter category has attracted growing interest over time, recording the highest number of applications this year: 89 projects out of a total of 259. The winners of the 2024 edition are: Masami Ando Kuri, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cellular genetics, Haniffa Lab, Cambridge, UK – Scientific area: dermatology Enchen Zhou, University of California San Diego, Christopher Glass Laboratory, US – Scientific area: endocrinology Ilaria Chiaradia, Charles Darwin Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy – Scientific area: fertility/urology Prach Techameena, Karolinska Institutet, Neurobiology of Pain & Therapeutics, Saida Hadjab Group, Stockholm, Sweden – Scientific area: pain medicine / orthopaedics / rheumatology Sergio P é rez Diaz, Karolinska Institutet, Division of Clinical Physiology, Laboratory of Medicine Department, Stockholm, Sweden – Scientific area: healthy aging / regenerative medicine Vanessa L ó pez Polo, University of California San Francisco, Cardiovascular Research Institute, US – Scientific area: healthy aging/regenerative medicine 'Supporting the talent of young researchers represents for IBSA Foundation a strategic investment, driving scientific progress and fostering a society that is more aware and better equipped to face future challenges. In a context where access to a scientific career is increasingly complex, our Fellowships serve as a tangible tool to support young researchers at a difficult time, promoting merit and innovation ', stated Silvia Misiti, Director of IBSA Foundation for scientific research. Since its launch in 2012, the IBSA Foundation Fellowships have attracted increasing interest, with 1,645 projects from 60 countries. Over twelve editions, 58 projects have been funded, totalling € 1.6 million. A particularly noteworthy statistic is the high number of submissions from female researchers: 1,041 out of 1,645 applications, which testifies to their increasingly central role in international scientific research. At the Milan (Italy) event, IBSA Foundation announced the opening of the 2025 call. Like in 2024, the new edition will award six € 32,000 grants and will welcome projects in five areas: dermatology, endocrinology, fertility/urology, pain medicine/orthopaedics/rheumatology and healthy ageing/regenerative medicine. The sixth scholarship will be assigned to the category that receives the highest number of applications. From this year, the IBSA Foundation Research Equity Prize will also be introduced: worth € 5,000, the prize will be awarded to the best scientific project developed in a laboratory, research institute or university based in a developing country. Researchers wishing to apply can submit their proposals by January 31, 2026, through the platform. About IBSA IBSA (Institut Biochimique SA) is a Swiss pharmaceutical multinational with 20 subsidiaries across Europe, China, and the United States. Its products are available in over 90 countries, and its R&D activities focus on 10 therapeutic areas. In 2025, IBSA will celebrate the 40th anniversary of its acquisition by current President and CEO, Arturo Licenziati, who has transformed the company into a multinational corporation employing over 2,300 personnel worldwide. IBSA's growth and development can be attributed to its ability to innovate by refining well-known molecules, as well as to its commitment to looking to the future responsibly and transparently, thanks to the dedication and dynamism of its people. About IBSA Foundation for scientific research Established in 2012 in Lugano by the pharmaceutical company IBSA (Institut Biochimique SA), IBSA Foundation for scientific research is the main promoter of IBSA Group's social responsibility activities. The Foundation promotes 'Science for all' through accessible information and activities that unite scientific and humanistic culture. Its initiatives include high-level forums featuring internationally renowned scientists, educational events, conferences on art-and-science and health-and-culture and research scholarships in various areas of basic and clinical research. Expand
India.com
12-05-2025
- Health
- India.com
Pregnant Women With Fatty Liver Face 3X Higher Risk Of Premature Birth, Finds Study
New Delhi: Pregnant women with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) have an increased risk of giving birth prematurely and the risk increase cannot be explained by obesity, according to a new study on Friday. It is estimated that as many as three out of ten people globally have MASLD, previously called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Common risk factors are metabolic disorders such as Type 2 diabetes and overweight or obesity. The disease has become increasingly common, including among women of reproductive age. Researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have now investigated the association between maternal MASLD and pregnancy and neonatal birth outcomes. Their findings, published in the journal eClinicalMedicine, showed that women with MASLD were more than three times more likely to give birth prematurely. The risk did not increase with MASLD severity and the increase in risk persisted even when compared to overweight or obese women without known MASLD. 'This suggests that the association is not only due to a high body mass index (BMI) and that the liver disease itself can have negative effects,' explains lead author Carole A. Marxer, a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet. The study is based on Swedish registry data and includes a total of 240 births among women with MASLD and 1,140 matched births of women from the general population. Women with MASLD also had a 63 per cent higher risk of caesarean section than the control group. However, this seems to be explained by high BMI as no increase in risk was seen compared to overweight or obese women without fatty liver disease. 'It is important that pregnant women with MASLD are closely monitored during pregnancy to reduce the risk of complications. Consideration should also be given to adding specific recommendations for pregnant women to the clinical guidelines for MASLD,' Marxer said. 'It is also worth noting that we did not find any increased risk in women with MASLD of having children with congenital malformations or of having children who died at birth,' added Jonas F. Ludvigsson, paediatrician at Orebro University Hospital and professor at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet. However, the increased risk may have been influenced by other factors as well, the researchers said.
