Interaction of Blood Manganese Concentrations with GSTT1 in Relation to Autism Spectrum Disorder in Jamaican Children.
Mohammad H Rahbar, Maureen Samms-Vaughan, Sepideh Saroukhani and 7 others
PMID 32892263WHAT IT FOUND
Jamaican children with a missing GSTT1 gene and high blood manganese had over three times the odds of autism compared to controls.
This genetic-environmental interaction was absent in children with the gene present. The study is observational and requires replication.
Key findings
01Among children with the GSTT1 null genotype (DD), those with blood manganese above the 75th percentile (>12 μg/L) had 3.32 times the odds of ASD compared to controls.
02The interaction between blood manganese and GSTT1 genotype on ASD risk remained significant after adjusting for socioeconomic status and GSTP1 genotype, with odds ratios ranging from 4.33 to 4.34.
03No significant interaction was found between blood manganese and ASD risk for children with the GSTT1 I/I or I/D genotypes.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Blood manganese reflects current exposure rather than long-term historical exposure, and timing of exposure could not be accounted for. The study did not adjust p-values for multiple comparisons. Findings are limited to the Jamaican population and require replication in other groups. The observational design cannot prove causation. Information on maternal diet or manganese levels during pregnancy was unavailable.
Declared interests
All listed authors declared no conflicts of interest. Funding sources are not explicitly detailed in the provided text beyond the declaration of no conflicts.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the higher odds of ASD in children with the GSTT1 null genotype and high manganese as a direct causal mechanism or a basis for clinical screening. This is a single observational study in a specific population, and the association requires replication before it can inform practice.