Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42331993›Full record

ArticleCommunications biology2026

Prenatal cell-free DNA methylome detects association with autism and maternal obesity.

Logan A Williams, Ensieh Habibi, Meghan Miller, Irva Hertz-Picciotto, Cheryl K Walker, Rebecca J Schmidt, Janine M LaSalle

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Communications biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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.

Logan A WilliamsDepartment of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Davis, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9797-3567
Ensieh HabibiDepartment of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Davis, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5425-4095
Meghan MillerDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Davis, CA, USA.
Irva Hertz-PicciottoDepartment of Public Health Sciences, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Davis, CA, USA.
Cheryl K WalkerDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Davis, CA, USA.
Rebecca J SchmidtDepartment of Public Health Sciences, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Davis, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1582-2747
Janine M LaSalleDepartment of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Davis, CA, USA. jmlasalle@ucdavis.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3480-2031

Funding

BUILDS MARBLES: Biorepository Upkeep and Infrastructure for Longitudinal Data Sharing for MARBLESR24ES028533 · NIEHS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS · PI Brittany D. Chambers Butcher, Rebecca Jean Schmidt · 2017 to 2026
$2.3M
BUILDS MARBLES: Biorepository Upkeep and Infrastructure for Longitudinal Data Sharing for MARBLESU24ES028533 · NIEHS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS · PI CHAMBERS BUTCHER, BRITTANY D., SCHMIDT, REBECCA JEAN · 2023 to 2025
$1.2M
NIEHS NIH HHS R24 ES028533NIEHS NIH HHS U24 ES028533U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | National Institutes of Health (NIH) U24ES028533, R24ES028533, R01ES028089, R01ES020392, R01ES025574, P01ES011269U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research U24ES028533, R24ES028533, R01ES028089, R01ES020392, R01ES025574, P01ES011269
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Early identification of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remains a critical challenge, particularly in utero when non-genetic factors such as maternal obesity (MO) are implicated. Here, we report results of whole-genome bisulfite sequencing of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from third-trimester maternal plasma in a high-likelihood ASD pregnancy cohort associated with child (3 y) ASD diagnosis and/or MO. Differentially methylated regions (DMRs) between ASD and control cfDNA are strongly enriched for synaptic functions and genes previously implicated in ASD. These cfDNA ASD DMRs recapitulate those observed in ASD placenta and postmortem cortex and significantly overlap with MO DMRs. Our findings establish cfDNA methylation derived from maternal blood as a minimally invasive window into fetal brain ASD etiology, providing a framework for future mechanistic and early intervention studies. Future studies could investigate additional prenatal environmental exposures interacting with genetics during neurodevelopment.

Indexed as

Autism Spectrum DisorderAutistic DisorderCell-Free Nucleic AcidsDNA MethylationEpigenomePregnancy in ObesityAdultFemaleHumansPregnancyCell-Free Nucleic Acids

Identifiers

PMID42331993

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
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 Socratic graph.