# Autism in Preterm Birth

> **NIH NIH R01** · ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI · 2024 · $504,283

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) risk is primarily of genetic origins with an estimated heritability of 80% but
non-heritable factors are also important in understanding the underlying etiology. One source through which
environmental effects may be influential is preterm birth (birth before 37 weeks gestation) which constitutes
10% of all births in the US. The etiology of preterm birth is primarily of environmental origin, usually due to
disease in the pregnant woman or her fetus. The processes underlying preterm birth may initiate the
development of ASD. This hypothesis has not been previously studied, and if true the heritability of ASD
may be lower in children born preterm, and before the optimal gestational age for delivery at week 39 to 40,
suggesting that children born preterm define a subset of the general population where environmental risk
plays a larger role for ASD risk.
The goal of this project is to examine the etiology of ASD in children born preterm and to determine if the
etiology is different compared to term-born children, and across gestational age; to identify risk factors for ASD
in PTB children, compared to term born, and to estimate the public health consequences of these risk factors,
how much can be attributed to confounding factors instead of the risk factors per se and if there are differences
in genetic architecture.
To achieve this goal, we will create a prospective cohort of all children born in Sweden and Finland 1996 to
2020 followed for clinical diagnosis of ASD, and link information from Swedish and Finnish National registers
until the end of 2024. We will replicate analyses in a sample from California and examine genetic markers in
two large genetic databases for ASD research.
In Aim 1 we will determine the epidemiology of ASD in children born preterm, and characterize the risk factors
for these children. Aim 2 will estimate population measures of risk (heritability and proportion susceptible) and
estimate public health consequences of the risk factors from aim 1 by calculating the proportion attributable
fractions for the risk factors. Aim 3 will replicate the analyses in aim 1&2 in a similar database from California.
Aim 4 will test if the genetic architecture of ASD differs in preterm and term-born children.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10779769
- **Project number:** 1R01HD113669-01
- **Recipient organization:** ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI
- **Principal Investigator:** Sven Sandin
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $504,283
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-10 → 2029-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10779769

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10779769, Autism in Preterm Birth (1R01HD113669-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10779769. Licensed CC0.

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