Autism Spectrum Disorder and Hypoxic Brain Injury Both a Cause and an Effect

Study links prenatal hypoxia to worsened autism symptoms with brain changes tied to sensory and sleep issues and urges early MRI screening in birth injury cases

SANTA BARBARA, CA, UNITED STATES, May 6, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- “This study by University of San Francisco shows that hypoxic brain damage around the time of birth is associated with autism spectrum disorder and makes the effects of this diagnosis worse,” states Greg Vigna, MD, JD, National Birth Injury Attorney.

What did Dr. Perciado report in her article published in Autism Research, “Prenatal exposure to hypoxic risk conditions in autistic neurotypical youth; Associated ventricular differences, sleep, disturbance, and sensory processing” (2024; 17:2547-2557)?:

“Results from a cohort of 104 youth revealed a higher incidence of exposure to prenatal hypoxic conditions in the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) group.

Additionally, ASD individuals with prenatal hypoxic exposure demonstrated larger third ventricle volumes compared with both autism spectrum disorder and neurotypical control individuals without such exposure, respectively.

Furthermore, associations were identified between prenatal hypoxic exposure, third ventricle volume, sensory dysfunction, and severity of sleep disturbances. These findings suggest exposure to prenatal hypoxic risk conditions may exacerbate or modify the neurodevelopmental trajectory and symptom severity in ASD."

Read Dr. Perciado's article: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/aur.3250

Dr. Greg Vigna, MD, JD, national birth injury lawyer, “We are evaluating children who had a history of a difficult delivery with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. These children need to be screened with an MRI of the brain with volumetric analysis of the ventricles. Level 2 and Level 3 autism will always be a huge financial burden on the family and cause significant psychosocial stress, all of which will have negative effects on the child. We have a physician who is Board Certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology taking a history as part of our early evaluation to determine if the facts around the time of delivery may be consistent with a negligent delivery. We then order records, as these are serious injuries."

Dr. Vigna concludes, “We are evaluating cases with histories that might include 1) Neonatal encephalopathy, 2) Seizures, 3) Low APGARS, 4) Emergent C-section, 5) Born blue, 6) Born flaccid, 7) Acidotic, 8) Feeding difficulties, 9) Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and 10) Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE).”

Click here to read Dr. Vigna’s book, ‘The Mother’s Guide to Birth Injury’

Dr. Vigna is a California and Washington DC lawyer who focuses on neurological injuries caused by medical negligence including birth injury. He is Board Certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Dr. Vigna co-counsels with the Ben Martin Law Group, a national pharmaceutical injury law firm and birth injury lawyer in Dallas, Texas.

Click here to learn more: https://vignalawgroup.com/practice-areas/birth-injuries/

Greg Vigna, MD, JD
Vigna Law Group
+1 8178099023
email us here
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
Facebook
X