Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36843845›Full record

ArticleiScience2023

Prenatal low-dose methylmercury exposure causes premature neuronal differentiation and autism-like behaviors in a rodent model.

Allison Loan, Joseph Wai-Hin Leung, David P Cook, Chelsea Ko, Barbara C Vanderhyden, Jing Wang, Hing Man Chan

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in iScience, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

8 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Mercury-induced excitotoxicity in autism spectrum disorder: disruption of glutamatergic homeostasis and the therapeutic role of the selenium-glutathione axis.Biometals : an international journal on the role of metal ions in biology, biochemistry, and medicine · 2026
    Review
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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

7 authors.

Allison LoanRegenerative Medicine Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada.
Joseph Wai-Hin LeungRegenerative Medicine Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada.
David P CookCancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada.
Chelsea KoRegenerative Medicine Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada.
Barbara C VanderhydenCancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada.
Jing WangRegenerative Medicine Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada.
Hing Man ChanDepartment of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Aberrant neurodevelopment is a core deficit of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Here we ask whether a non-genetic factor, prenatal exposure to the environmental pollutant methylmercury (MeHg), is a contributing factor in ASD onset. We showed that adult mice prenatally exposed to non-apoptotic MeHg exhibited key ASD characteristics, including impaired communication, reduced sociability, and increased restrictive repetitive behaviors, whereas in the embryonic cortex, prenatal MeHg exposure caused premature neuronal differentiation. Further single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis disclosed that prenatal exposure to MeHg resulted in cortical radial glial precursors (RGPs) favoring asymmetric differentiation to directly generate cortical neurons, omitting the intermediate progenitor stage. In addition, MeHg exposure in cultured RGPs increased CREB phosphorylation and enhanced the interaction between CREB and CREB binding protein (CBP). Intriguingly, metformin, an FDA-approved drug, can reverse MeHg-induced premature neuronal differentiation via CREB/CBP repulsion. These findings provide insights into ASD etiology, its underlying mechanism, and a potential therapeutic strategy.

Indexed as

DrugsMolecular neuroscienceNeurotoxicologyTranscriptomics

Identifiers

PMID36843845
PMCPMC9947313

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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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.