prenatal stress asd epigenetics
Mental Health Neurodiversity vs Classic Approaches Hidden Truths
In a 2025 prospective birth cohort, maternal cortisol spikes increased DNA methylation at the H19 locus by up to 1.8-fold, showing prenatal stress, not genetics alone, shapes autism risk by altering the infant’s epigenome. Research later demonstrated that structured mindfulness programs for pregnant people cut ASD diagnoses by