Platform for the Prospective Mother-child Study of the Determinants of Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Neurodevelopmental disorders such as attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity, autism spectrum disorder, language and social communication disorder, motor coordination disorder, learning disorder (dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysorthography), intellectual development disorder are frequent and long-lasting developmental difficulties that can be observed in children in various domains. They are often associated and have a significant impact on daily functioning at school and at home.

The rate of people affected by neurodevelopmental disorders including autism spectrum disorder have increased significantly over the past 20 years. Improved screening only partly explains this evolution.

A genetic predisposition plays an important role in the occurrence of these disorders, however, current scientific data suggest a multifactorial origin. Exposures such as those related to the use of pesticides, air pollution or the presence of endocrine disruptors in our diet could be involved in the genesis of neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly during intrauterine life, a period of great vulnerability.

The current diagnostic pathways for autism rarely enable the early identification of babies at risk. Without early detection and timely targeted intervention, these children have a poor health outcome and do not reach their full potential.

The general objective of the MARIANNE cohort is to constitute a French research infrastructure dedicated to research on the biological and environmental determinants of neurodevelopmental disorders including autism.

This cohort is based on the follow-up of 1200 families with already a child affected by an autism spectrum disorder, which implies a high risk of neurodevelopmental disorders including autism spectrum disorder for the siblings, and of 500 families from the general population with no excess risk of neurodevelopmental disorders. The total number of subjects to be included (mother, father, unborn child and ASD sibling for the HR group) is thus 6300.

The inclusion of these families will be at the beginning of a new pregnancy and the follow-up will be carried out from the second trimester of pregnancy until the children are 6 years old, the age at which the diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders is possible.

Biological, clinical, social and environmental data will be collected at different stages of the follow-up and will be included into a large database.