Abstract
Mood disorders occur more frequently in family members of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) than in the general population. There may be associations between maternal mood disorder history patterns and specific ASD phenotypes. We therefore examined the relationship between maternal mood disorders and child autism spectrum disorders in 998 mother-child dyads enrolled in a national online autism registry and database. Mothers of children with ASD completed online questionnaires addressing their child's ASD as well as their own mood disorder history. In multivariate logistic regression models of ASD diagnoses, the odds of an Asperger disorder versus autistic disorder diagnosis were higher among those children whose mothers had a lifetime history of bipolar disorder (OR 2.11, CI 1.20, 3.69) or depression (OR 1.62, CI 1.19, 2.19). Further, maternal mood disorder onset before first pregnancy was associated with higher odds (OR 2.35, CI 1.48, 3.73) of an Asperger versus autism diagnosis among this sample of children with ASD. These data suggest that differences in maternal mood disorder history may be associated with ASD phenotype in offspring.
Highlights
A higher prevalence of depression and bipolar disorder has been consistently reported in family members of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) compared with family members of children with other types of disabilities [1,2,3]
(1) Among mothers of children with ASD, those with a history of mood disorder will be more likely to have a child with Asperger disorder (ASP) than AUT
(2) Among mothers of children with ASD who report a lifetime history of mood disorder, those who experienced their first mood disorder episode before their first pregnancy will be more likely to have a child with ASP than AUT
Summary
A higher prevalence of depression and bipolar disorder has been consistently reported in family members of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) compared with family members of children with other types of disabilities [1,2,3]. DeLong and Dwyer [6] were the first to report such an association in their exploration of the family history of 51 individuals with ASD and a wide range of cognitive abilities. Their data revealed higher rates of Asperger disorder ( known as Asperger syndrome) in families of subjects with a verbal IQ (VIQ) greater than or equal to 70 compared to those with lower VIQs (68% versus 8%). In a subsequent cross-sectional clinic-based study of 122 children with ASD, Cohen and Tsiouris [7] found that recurrent maternal depression was associated with higher cognitive
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