Journal of International Psychiatry

At present, there are many hypotheses about the etiology of autism, and the stress hypothesis of pregnancy is the first to be paid attention to by researchers, and it is getting more and more attention. Maternal stress include a very wide range of content, every pathologic maternal condition, and the psychological trauma can be defined as maternal stress, such as bacteria /viral infection,psychological stress during pregnancy, as well as premature birth. These stresses can change mothers environment or directly affect the development of the fetuses nervous system. In this paper, we review common stress risk factors of the autism spectrum disorders, and discuss how they can increase the risk of offspring by inflammatory response.

Autism; Pregnancy and childbirth; Inflammation; Premature birth; Stress