Autism, Neurulation, and Embryogenesis

For today's episode, we go into the science of embryogenesis, focusing on neurulation—the critical process where the neural tube forms, laying the groundwork for the central, peripheral, and enteric nervous systems. We discuss how disruptions in this early developmental stage, influenced by factors like folic acid metabolism, the sonic hedgehog pathway, and genes such as PTEN (P10), could shape the autistic phenotype. From cell proliferation to migration, we connect these biological processes to autism, exploring how environmental factors—like a pregnant mother’s exposure to artificial light versus sunlight—might alter developmental outcomes. This episode sets the stage for when the Autistic phenotype begins and for more detail on why the mesencephalon does not evolve into other cell types like the other three areas (prosencephalon, rhombencephal ...