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Autism researchers used Earth Day symposium to focus on environmental factors influencing autism vulnerability

Posted 4/23/2008

Confronted with evidence that one in six children are battling some type of developmental disorder, the nation’s leading autism researchers seek to discover the impact of environmental agents on autism risk. 

The Marino Autism Research Institute (MARI), which supports work at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, hosted a scientific symposium on Environment and Autism on Tuesday, April 22, in Nashville that was attended by more than 175 scientists, clinicians and trainees.
 
“I love seeing the passion you have for what you’re doing,” Marino said. “We all share the common goal of making a difference for families affected by autism.”

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder with genetic complexity, but it is believed that its causes include environmental triggers. The symposium brought together leading scientists from Vanderbilt, University of Miami, and other universities nationwide from a variety of disciplines to share state-of-the-art knowledge on possible environmental factors in the etiology of autism spectrum disorders.

“The public operates under the assumption that chemicals used in agriculture, industry, and in our households have been determined as safe by government regulatory agencies,” said BethAnn McLaughlin, Ph.D., assistant professor of neurology and chair of the Symposium. “In truth, only a few thousand of the over 80,000 compounds registered for use the U.S. have been tested, their safety is not known, and children, before and after birth, are enormously vulnerable to even small amount of compounds that can detrimentally affect the course of development.”

Motivated by experiences in raising their second son, Michael, who has autism, the Marinos created the Dan Marino Foundation in 1992.  They realized the need for comprehensive treatment programs for children with autism and other developmental disabilities. In 2006, the Foundation created MARI, a partnership between the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders and the University of Miami Center for Autism and Related Disabilities. The Foundation has now raised over $22 million to provide programs and services that benefit hundreds of thousands of children and their families.

“The Marino family has a clear understanding that our best hope for diagnosis and treatment is through exceptional researchers working collaboratively to understand fundamental behavioral, biochemical and molecular aspects of autism spectrum disorders,” said Daniel Messinger, Ph.D., and Michael Alessandri, Ph.D., co-directors of MARI at the University of Miami.

The Symposium covered a wide range of possible toxicologic factors, including pesticides, metals, organic pollutants, viruses, bacteria, and other infections, pharmaceuticals, and food additives.
   
In addition to McLaughlin, Vanderbilt presenters included James Sutcliffe, Ph.D., associate professor of molecular physiology and biophysics; Pat Levitt, Ph.D., Annette Schaffer Eskind Chair and professor of pharmacology; and Michael Aschner, Ph.D., Gray E. B. Stahlman Professor of Neuroscience and professor of pediatrics and pharmacology.

The MARI symposium this April was the first to focus on environmental factors influencing development, gene-environment interactions and methodological advances related to these disciplines.


Contact: Craig Boerner, (615)322-4747
craig.boerner@vanderbilt.edu

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