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Autism: Is there a folate connection?

  • Hypothesis
  • Published:
Journal of Inherited Metabolic Disease

Summary

Autism is increasing—but why? Birth defect prevention trials were based on the teleological assumption that folic acid could prevent neural tube defects without consideration of long-term effects, some of which could be beneficial, some of which might be harmful. We therefore ask—Is it impossible to look again at these cohorts?

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Abbreviations

DHFR:

dihydrofolate reductase

NTD:

neural tube defects

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Screening Laboratory, Clinical Chemistry Department, Children’s Hospital, Steelhouse Lane, Birmingham, B4 6NH, UK

    R. J. Leeming

  2. School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia

    M. Lucock

Authors
  1. R. J. Leeming
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  2. M. Lucock
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to R. J. Leeming.

Additional information

Communicating editor: Nenad Blau

Competing interests: None declared

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Leeming, R.J., Lucock, M. Autism: Is there a folate connection?. J Inherit Metab Dis 32, 400–402 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10545-009-1093-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10545-009-1093-0

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