LAUSR

APA fetal brains showed decreased expression of genes involved in neuronal differentiation and axon development, compared to controls. APA placentas showed robust changes in gene expression patterns suggestive of altered placental functions. In particular, several placental solute carriers exhibit decreased expression and other differentially-expressed genes are involved in immune functions and the development of preeclampsia. Intriguingly, we found that the expression of placental deregulated genes significantly correlate with deregulated genes in fetal heads, suggesting a potential placenta-mediated effect of APA on brain development. Furthermore, APA placentas showed decreased levels of epinephrine and increased levels of norepinephrine, compared to controls. Conversely, fetal brains did not displayed any significant differences on monoamine levels. These results indicate that APA affects molecular regulators of neurodevelopment in fetal brains, and suggest that the placenta that altered placental functions may contribute to the subsequent onset of autistic behaviors in offspring conceived by old fathers.