Prenatal and Perinatal Risk Factors for Autism
A special issue of Brain Sciences (ISSN 2076-3425). This special issue belongs to the section "Developmental Neuroscience".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 February 2026 | Viewed by 11
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Since the first report of a seemingly new psycho-behavioral malady in 1943, multiple attempts have been made to define the etiology of autism; this malady in children and adults remains an item of key interest in neurobiological research and therapy today. However, the cause of autism is unknown. It is believed that the underlying etiology is polygenic and that an interaction of environmental and genetic factors underlies the risk.
The potential role for an immune-mediated mechanism in ASD has been implicated by several studies, and some evidence suggests a potential link between prenatal infection-driven inflammation and subsequent development of ASD. Furthermore, a modest number of contemporary studies have reported a markedly increased prevalence of ASD in children born preterm, who are at highest risk of exposure to perinatal inflammation.
The main aim of this Special Issue is to explore the relationship of pregnancy, etiology, predelivery genetic rearrangements, and the occurrence of autism. We invite authors to submit relevant research papers, reviews, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews.
Dr. Gary Steinman
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- perinatal period
- prenatal infection
- children born preterm
- pregnancy
- autism
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