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Autism: an Epigenomic Side-Effect of Excessive Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields

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Autism: an Epigenomic Side-Effect of Excessive Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields Vol. 5(4), pp. 171-177, April 2013 DOI: 10.5897/IJMMS12.135 International Journal of Medicine ISSN 2006-9723 ©2013 Academic Journals http://www.academicjournals.org/IJMMS and Medical Sciences Full Length Research Paper Autism: An epigenomic side-effect of excessive exposure to electromagnetic fields Yog Raj Ahuja1*, Sanjeev Sharma2 and Bir Bahadur3 1Department of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Vasavi Medical and Research Centre, 6-1-91, Khairatabad, Hyderabad 500004, India. 2Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Apollo Hospital, Jubillee Hills, Hyderabad, 500033, India. 3Department of Genetics, Shadan College, Khairatabad, Hyderabad 500004, India. Accepted 27 February, 2013 Autism is a disorder which mainly involves the nervous system. It is characterized by lack of communication, incoherent language and meaningless repetitive movements. Its onset is in early childhood and its incidence has been reported to be increasing. Several genes and environmental factors have been implicated in the causation of autism, and electromagnetic fields may be one of those environmental factors. Industrialization has added a large number of electronic gadgets around us. Indiscriminate use of these gadgets, particularly mobile phones, has raised the question of electropollution and health hazard caused by their usage. Electromagnetic fields emitted during their operation do not have enough energy to cause DNA alterations directly; however, ample evidence is available from in vitro and in vivo studies to demonstrate their ability to cause DNA alterations indirectly as well as epigenetic modifications. In addition to genetic alterations, the epigenetic modifications may have an important role in causing disruption of the nervous system leading to neurodegenerative disorders, including autism. Key words: Autism, neurodegenerative disorders, epigenome, electromagnetic fields, electronic gadgets, mobile phones. INTRODUCTION Autism is an example of a disorder caused by disruption white matter of the brain between autistic children and of the nervous system. It is a severe neurodevelopmental controls. They suggested that abnormal white matter disorder with an onset in infancy (Ploeger et al., 2010), integrity in young children with autism may adversely and occurs more often in males than in females with a affect connectivity between different brain regions. ratio of 4:1. It is characterized by social and communi- Voineagu et al. (2011) carried out microarray analysis on cative impairment accompanied by hyperactivity, RNA of more than 30,000 genes in three regions of post- repetitive and stereotype behavior (Fatima et al., 2006). mortem brains among 19 autistic individuals and 17 IQ varies from normal (or even above normal) in more controls. They identified 444 genes in cerebral cortices of than 50% of the cases and mental retardation occurring the autistic patients that showed significant expression in 30 to 50% of them. Various parts of the brain have changes as compared to the controls. Of these 444 been identified to be involved leading to neuronal genes, downregulation was seen in 209 genes which disconnection or circuit disruption. Using diffusion tensor were related to synaptic and neuronal signaling functions, imaging, Weinstein et al. (2011) observed differences in and upregulation was observed in *Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]. Tel: +91-40-23210251(O), +91-40-23323235(R). Fax: +91-40-66107930. 172 Int. J. Med. Med. Sci. 235 genes which were connected with immune and for FM radio, television and mobile communication; and inflammatory response. The authors strongly suggested very high frequencies (AC:2 to 10 GHz) for microwave convergent molecular abnormalities involving ovens and satellite communications. Biological systems transcriptional and splicing disregulation in the temporal have been shown to be sensitive to external magnetic and the frontal cortical regions in autism. This study was fields in several investigations. Magnetic fields affect the supported by an earlier study by Zikopoulos and Barbas basic life processes, like growth and development, (2010), who carried out anatomical studies on 5 cases orientation, structure and function of proteins, lipids, with adult autism, and observed typical ultrastructure metabolic pathways, membranes, antioxidant defense abnormalities in their frontal regions of the cortex. and genetic material (Todorovic et al., 2012). Experimental studies on invertebrates and vertebrates alike confirm a higher sensitivity to low frequency RELATIVE ROLE OF GENETIC AND magnetic fields (LF-MFs) during embryonic stages and ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS IN AUTISM development (Graham et al., 2000; Saunders et al., 2005). For an adult stable nervous system, such a Autism is a familial disorder with high heritability. response may amount to little more than transitory and Genome-wide association studies as well as studies on barely detectable perturbation. On the other hand, for a submicroscopic and chromosomal structural variations developing fetus or an infant in which the nervous system (polymorphisms and copy number variants) suggest the is still in their formative stages, these very same mild involvement of a large number of genes in the causation perturbations could be catastrophic. For example, Ravera of autism (Veenstra-Vanderweele et al., 2004). Being a et al. (2006) exposed fertilized eggs of the sea urchin polygenic disorder, autism is attributable to the effect of (Paracentrotus lividus) to extremely low frequency an unknown number of mutations and their possible electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs) and observed a interactions. These mutations and their interactions, inter dramatic loss of synchronization of the first cell cycle se, as well as with the environmental factors, display a accompanied by irregular separation of chromatids, wide phenotypic spectrum, known as the autism resulting in the formation of anomalous embryos. spectrum disorder (ASD) (Currenti, 2010). The recur- Endogenous direct current (DC) electric fields play an rence rate of an autistic child in a family is about 5% if important role in embryonic development, particularly in one child is already affected with autism. The concor- the development of the nervous system. Precise dance rate of autism in monozygotic twins has been interconnections need to be made between neurons reported to range between 50 and 90% (Abrahams and migrating to the proper place at a particular time. Any Geschwind, 2008). The very fact that the concordance in exogenous electric fields that have a tendency to monozygotic twins is short of 100% and autism has a modulate the endogenous fields could conceivably wide phenotypic spectrum, it is reasonable to assume modify the synaptogenesis (Saunders and McCaig, that environmental factors have a significant role to play 2005). Disruption of endogenous electric fields in amphi- in the causation of this disorder. Interestingly, according bians has been seen to result in aberrant development of to Hallmayer et al. (2011) environmental factors play a the nervous system. Electromagnetic radiations emitted larger role than genetic factors in the pathogenesis of by electronic gadgets in the environment during their ope- autism. Various environmental factors like copper, lead, ration are not strong enough to cause DNA alterations mercury, arsenic, fertilizers and pesticides, at toxic expo- directly, though indirect DNA alterations have been sure levels have been implicated in autism. Not only are shown through the production of reactive oxygen species the higher levels implicated, but even the lower levels of (Lai and Singh, 1997). Moreover, in vitro and in vivo some of the essential elements may also be involved in studies have demonstrated the ability of electromagnetic autism. For example, lower concentrations of fields (EMFs) to cause epigenetic modifications (Ahuja et magnesium, selenium, iodine and lithium have been ob- al., 2005). Recently, Sarimov et al. (2011) have served in autistic individuals (Herbert et al., 2006; Adams demonstrated the mechanism of transcriptional et al., 2006, 2007; Lakshmi Priya and Geetha, 2011). activation/silencing at the chromatin level during exposure to EMFs. They exposed lymphocytes from two healthy men to extremely low frequency EMFs, and ob- ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS AND THEIR served significant differences in chromatin conformation BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS in them depending on the initial state of chromatin and temperature during exposure. In general, the magnetic We are surrounded by electrical/electronic gadgets at field of 50 Hz at peak amplitude within the range of 5 to home as well as in the work place. These gadgets 20 μT condensed the relaxed chromatin and relaxed the operate at a broad-range of electromagnetic frequencies, condensed chromatin. In this report, focus has been laid e.g., extremely low frequencies (AC:10 to 60 Hz) for on the epigenomic disturbances induced by the domestic and power lines; medium-range radio- excessive exposure to EMFs leading to neurodegene- frequencies and microwave radiations (AC:1 to 900 MHz) rative disorders, including autism. Ahuja et al. 173 ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS AND THEIR EFFECTS Modulation is used in all wireless communication ON HEALTH systems to enable the signal to carry information. Some studies have shown that there may be specific effects The health effects of modulated EMFs have been a from amplitude modulated radiofrequency fields on the subject of debate. There are reports showing beneficial human central nervous system
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