Maternal obesity and autism spectrum disorders in offspring

Abstract

There is a growing body of evidence from both human epidemiologic and animal studies that maternal obesity and a high-fat diet are associated with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). They also include cognitive impairment, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, cerebral palsy, anxiety and depression, schizophrenia, and eating disorders. This review synthesizes the role of the maternal immune activation hypothesis and the other possible mechanism underlying abnormal fetal brain development, including neuroinflammation; increased oxidative stress, dysregulated insulin, glucose, and leptin signaling; dysregulated serotonergic and dopaminergic signaling; and perturbations in synaptic plasticity and neurodevelopmental and psychiatric morbidity in offspring. Finally, this review summarizes the available targeted strategies that can be designed to curb maternal obesity and the subsequent development of ASDs.