![\"Amy](\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2017\/04\/kalbrenner.300x200-300x200.jpg\")
But questions remain about the biology behind how air pollutants can harm the developing brain, and whether some children may be more resilient or susceptible to the impacts.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy adding a wealth of information about genes inherited from parents, we\u2019ll be able to more fully explore the multiple factors involved,\u201d said Kalkbrenner, an assistant professor in the Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health.<\/p>\n
The researchers will examine genes important in detoxifying chemical exposures and helping protect children\u2019s nervous system as they grow.<\/p>\n
Autism affects children in different ways, and sometimes a child is also diagnosed with ADHD. \u201cWhat we call autism may actually be several disorders with different paths of causation,\u201d said Kalkbrenner.<\/p>\n
For this reason, the researchers will investigate autism and ADHD separately and in combination during the five-year study. Understanding which causes are shared and which are unique across developmental disorders paints a more complete picture of how environmental chemicals may be involved.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese results will bring us closer to finding interventions that can reduce the impact of developmental disorders on families,\u201d Kalkbrenner said.<\/p>\n
Autism occurs in 1 to 2 percent of children, while the prevalence of ADHD is estimated at 5 percent.<\/p>\n
Kalkbrenner\u2019s previous research found evidence that a child\u2019s greatest susceptibility to a chemical in vehicle emissions occurs in the third trimester of pregnancy when the brain\u2019s network is still forming.<\/p>\n
Research partners on the project include Christine Ladd-Acosta at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Diana Schendel at Aarhus University in Denmark.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A team of investigators led by 51ÁÔÆæ epidemiologist Amy Kalkbrenner has landed a $2.3 million grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to explore the connection between air pollution and autism. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":836,"featured_media":46677,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"categories":[174,200],"tags":[249],"section":[135,137],"display_categories":[],"related-coverage":[],"uwmnews-feed":[166],"class_list":["post-46676","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-news-in-brief","tag-community-engagement","section-health","section-public-health","uwmnews-feed-public-health"],"yoast_head":"\n