2,300 parent-babies will be followed for ten years by researchers to help determine the role of environmental and biological factors in the occurrence of autism spectrum disorders. Code name of this cohort: Marianne.
Marianne, is the name of the new national cohort dedicated to research in the world of autism. 2,300 families (parents-babies) will be followed for ten years by researchers to determine the role of environmental and biological factors, which we call ” exposome in the occurrence of autism and neurodevelopmental disorders (TSA-TND). « The causes and mechanisms of autism still largely escape our understanding agrees Frédérique Vidal, Minister of Research. This research, the first » of this type in Europe, according to the government, benefits from the support of four university hospital centers (Lille, Lyon, Rouen and Toulouse*); it is endowed with financing of 6 million euros from the Avenir investment plan.
From the influence of the environment
In the most recent estimates of developed countries, the prevalence rate of ASD is estimated at 2%, a figure which has increased considerably over the past twenty years. Corn ” advances in screening only partly explain this increaseindicates the Interministerial Autism Delegation and TND. While genetics is a well-established factor in the causes of autism, scientific evidence suggests that ASD and TND have multiple origins, raising a number of questions about the influence of major environmental changes in recent decades. ».
Early follow-up
Marianne will recruit pregnant women at risk of having a child with ASD-TND, fathers too, as well as other issues from the general population. Studies have in fact shown that the younger brothers and sisters of children with ASD present a significant risk of the onset of these disorders. Follow-up will begin during the second trimester of pregnancy and will continue for up to 6 years. Biological samples will be collected from parents and children, supplemented by clinical, social and environmental data.
Families at the heart of research
Sophie Cluzel, Secretary of State for Disabilities, thus intends ” improve the follow-up of people and the synergies between the different teams “, a ” essential prerequisite for the construction of a research space “. Through this cohort, she promises “ to involve individuals and families at each stage, by placing them at the center of the approaches and methodologies chosen “. This is also the credo she defended on March 9, 2022, when she brought together her counterparts from the European Union in Paris; it also encouraged the creation of a ” european research area dedicated to autism and the establishment of a global clinical trials network (article in link below). Structuring research and putting science at the heart of public policies is one of the priorities of the 2018-2022 national strategy. For Claire Compagnon, its interministerial delegate, “ these results could pave the way for prevention, very early support for high-risk births or even the creation of therapeutics ».
*The project is coordinated by Professor Amaria Baghdadli, head of the Center of Excellence on Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders (Montpellier) and researcher at the Center for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health (CESP) at Inserm , and by Dr Marie-Christine Picot, Head of the Clinical Research and Epidemiology Unit within the same University Hospital, Associate Researcher (CESP) of Inserm, whose respective work is internationally recognized in the fields of autism and healthy epidemiological cohorts
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