Prenatal medication exposure in autism, birth complications and developmental disabilities

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PROJECT SUMMARY Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects 1 in 54 children in the US, however the modifiable risk factors for this disorder remain unknown, creating a pressing public health need. As ASD likely arises early in prenatal development, efforts in identifying such modifiable factors have focused on maternal exposures in pregnancy, including medications. While some medications have been shown to be associated with ASD, major critical knowledge gaps remain, including: (1) the underlying mechanisms have not been elucidated, and (2) the effects of most maternal medications on ASD risk are still unknown — despite pervasive use of prescription and over- the-counter (OTC) medications in pregnancy, most of which cross the placenta, with unknown effects on the fetus. In response, the key objectives of the proposed study are to identify medications taken by pregnant women that influence offspring ASD risk, elucidate confounding factors in these associations, and benchmark their generalizability and specificity. To achieve these objectives, we propose independent, but synergistic aims: Aim 1: Systematically investigate the effects of the full range of maternal prescription and OTC medications used in pregnancy on ASD offspring risk, using well-powered sample of 1.2M live births from Israel with full demographic, prescription, medical and pedigree information. We will test if the observed effects on ASD differ depending on the timing or duration of the exposure, concurrent use of other medications, indication or offspring sex. Aim 2: Test the mechanisms underlying the associations between maternal medication use and ASD, 2A: examining familial confounding, using sibling comparisons and negative control of paternal exposure; and 2B: identifying clinical confounding by (i) examining risk of ASD associated with clusters of medications defined by their pharmacological features (target(s), chemical structure) vs indication, (ii) adjustment for maternal health proxies; (iii) discontinuation analysis. Aim 3: Establish the specificity and generalizability of maternal medication effects on ASD, by 3A: examining the range of other (neuro)developmental outcomes affected by the same maternal medications as ASD, and 3B: performing a replication study in Sweden, Finland and the US. The innovation of this project is four-fold: (1) it can identify novel, potentially modifiable risk factors for ASD; (2) it triangulates orthogonal approaches to discern causal vs confounded effects of medications on ASD risk; (3) it leverages pharmacological and pharmacokinetic data on medications to unambiguously define exposure; and (4) it provides new insights into shared and distinct risk factors in different adverse developmental outcomes. Upon completion, our multi-dimensional approach, rigorous methods and unprecedented study power in the hands of our expert team will deliver a systematic list of the maternal prescription and OTC medications in pregnancy associated with ASD, and robust evidence regarding the role of the confounding factors in these effects. This will help identify potential modifiable risk factors for the disorder, contribute high-quality evidence about the risks associated with maternal use of certain medications during pregnancy, and delineate the etiology of ASD.