Placental alterations related to neurodevelopmental and associated disorders.

This review looks at how problems with the placenta during pregnancy might contribute to autism, ADHD, and other developmental conditions. The placenta is the organ that connects mother and baby during pregnancy, passing nutrients and other substances between them. Researchers found that different developmental conditions may be linked to different types of placental changes - autism with genetic markers, ADHD with immune system changes, and fetal alcohol disorders with gene expression problems.

This narrative review examines how placental alterations may contribute to neurodevelopmental disorders including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ADHD, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). The placenta serves as a critical interface between mother and fetus, facilitating bidirectional exchange of nutrients, gases, waste, hormones, and inflammatory mediators. The review identifies distinct molecular targets associated with different conditions: epigenetic markers for ASD, immune alterations for ADHD, and altered gene expression for FASD. This research highlights the placenta's specific roles in various neurodevelopmental contexts, suggesting that placental function during pregnancy may influence later neurodevelopmental outcomes through different pathways depending on the specific disorder.

Findings suggest prenatal care focusing on placental health may be important for preventing neurodevelopmental disorders. Different molecular pathways identified for ASD, ADHD, and FASD may require condition-specific monitoring and interventions during pregnancy. However, more research is needed to establish causal relationships.

As a narrative review, this study does not provide systematic evaluation of evidence quality or quantitative synthesis of findings. The abstract does not specify search methodology, inclusion criteria, or the number of studies reviewed, limiting assessment of comprehensiveness.

Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), are conditions that are triggered during neurodevelopment in embryonic life and persist in postnatal life, leading to behavioral impairments. Despite the rising prevalence and extensive research, the mechanism behind the etiology of both disorders is not completely known. This narrative review explores the intricate interplay of genetic and environmental risk factors within the placenta, a pivotal transient organ crucial for fetal sustenance, and its role in the bidirectional passage of nutrients, gases, waste, hormones, and inflammatory mediators between the mother and fetus. We present a comprehensive overview of placental alterations associated with the diagnosis of NDDs (ASD and ADHD) and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD).

Through this review, potential molecular targets emerged like epigenetic markers for ASD, immune alterations for ADHD, and altered gene expression for FASD, highlighting specific roles of the placenta in different contexts of NDDs.