Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31636273›Full record

ArticleTranslational psychiatry2019

Maternal valproic acid exposure leads to neurogenesis defects and autism-like behaviors in non-human primates.

Hui Zhao, Qiqi Wang, Ting Yan, Yu Zhang, Hui-Juan Xu, Hao-Peng Yu, Zhuchi Tu, Xiangyu Guo, Yong-Hui Jiang, Xiao-Jiang Li and 2 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Translational psychiatry, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 58 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
58citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
18.2field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

58 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 107 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Valproate Exposure as anCNS & neurological disorders drug targets · 2025
    Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Review
  9. Article
  10. Pre- and Postnatal Valproate Exposure Affects Brain Development.Current topics in behavioral neurosciences · 2025
    Review
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Review
  17. Article
  18. Review
  19. Review
  20. The Autism Spectrum Disorder and Its Possible Origins in Pregnancy.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.

Hui ZhaoState Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
Qiqi WangState Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
Ting YanShenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
Yu ZhangGuangdong Laboratory Animals Monitoring Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Laboratory Animals, Guangzhou, 510663, China.
Hui-Juan XuState Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
Hao-Peng YuWest China Biomedical Big Data Center, West China Hospital/West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0525-3157
Zhuchi TuGuangdong-Hongkong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration, Ministry of Education CNS Regeneration Collaborative Joint Laboratory, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China.
Xiangyu GuoGuangdong-Hongkong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration, Ministry of Education CNS Regeneration Collaborative Joint Laboratory, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China.
Yong-Hui JiangDepartment of Pediatrics and Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27710, USA. yong-hui.jiang@duke.edu.
Xiao-Jiang LiGuangdong-Hongkong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration, Ministry of Education CNS Regeneration Collaborative Joint Laboratory, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China.
Huihui ZhouShenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China. hh.zhou@siat.ac.cn.
Yong Q ZhangState Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China. yqzhang@genetics.ac.cn.
Chinese Academy of Sciences · CNCenter for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology · CNJinan University · CNDuke University · USEmory University · USWest China Medical Center of Sichuan University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Despite the substantial progress made in identifying genetic defects in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the etiology for majority of ASD individuals remains elusive. Maternal exposure to valproic acid (VPA), a commonly prescribed antiepileptic drug during pregnancy in human, has long been considered a risk factor to contribute to ASD susceptibility in offspring from epidemiological studies in humans. The similar exposures in murine models have provided tentative evidence to support the finding from human epidemiology. However, the apparent difference between rodent and human poses a significant challenge to extrapolate the findings from rodent models to humans. Here we report for the first time the neurodevelopmental and behavioral outcomes of maternal VPA exposure in non-human primates. Monkey offspring from the early maternal VPA exposure have significantly reduced NeuN-positive mature neurons in prefrontal cortex (PFC) and cerebellum and the Ki67-positive proliferating neuronal precursors in the cerebellar external granular layer, but increased GFAP-positive astrocytes in PFC. Transcriptome analyses revealed that maternal VPA exposure disrupted the expression of genes associated with neurodevelopment in embryonic brain in offspring. VPA-exposed juvenile offspring have variable presentations of impaired social interaction, pronounced stereotypies, and more attention on nonsocial stimuli by eye tracking analysis. Our findings in non-human primates provide the best evidence so far to support causal link between maternal VPA exposure and neurodevelopmental defects and ASD susceptibility in humans.

Indexed as

AnimalsAutism Spectrum DisorderBehavior, AnimalDisease Models, AnimalDisease SusceptibilityFemaleMacaca fascicularisNeurogenesisPrefrontal CortexPregnancyPrenatal Exposure Delayed EffectsValproic AcidValproic Acid

Identifiers

PMID31636273
PMCPMC6803711
OpenAlexW2980918256

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.