How forever chemicals target developing male brains — and what this means for their autism risk

Neurodevelopmental conditions like autism and ADHD disproportionately affect males, with some estimating boys are four times as likely to be diagnosed as girls.

Theories suggest this gender gap may be because male brains are more sensitive to changes during development, and girls might be better at hiding the signs or showing them in different ways.

Now, a new study published in the European Journal of Neuroscience has uncovered a shocking link between PFAS — also known as “forever chemicals — and autism in men.

Scientists gave pregnant mice a type of short-chain PFAS called PFHxA — a chemical that’s still widely used even though it’s been restricted in some parts of the world.

The mothers were fed small doses, similar to what people might come across in their daily lives, and when their pups grew up, the male mice showed clear changes in behavior.

They were less active, more anxious and had trouble with memory, while the female mice didn’t seem affected at all.

“Although these effects were mild, finding behavioral effects only in males was reminiscent of the many neurodevelopmental disorders that are male-biased,” Ania Majewska, a neuroscience professor at the University of Rochester, said in a press release.

“This finding suggests that the male brain might be more vulnerable to environmental insults during neurodevelopment.”

Until recently, PFHxA was considered a “safer” replacement for older, more notorious forever chemicals that have been phased out.

But this study suggests we may have just swapped one problem for another — especially when it comes to protecting developing male brains.

“Finding that developmental exposure to PFHxA has long-term behavioral consequences in a mammalian model is concerning when considering short-chain PFAS are thought to be safer alternatives to the legacy PFAS that have been phased-out of production,” study lead author Elizabeth Plunk said.

“Understanding the impacts of PFHxA on the developing brain is critical when proposing regulations around this chemical. Hopefully, this is the first of many studies evaluating the neurotoxicity of PFHxA.”

The findings, while done on mice, suggest we need to take a closer scientific look at the link between forever chemicals and autism.

“This work points to the need for more research in short-chain PFAS. To our knowledge, PFHxA has not been evaluated for developmental neurobehavioral toxicity in a rodent model,” said Majewska. “

“Future studies should evaluate the cellular and molecular effects of PFHxA, including cell-type specific effects, in regions associated with motor, emotional/fear, and memory domains to elucidate mechanistic underpinnings.”

PFAS — synthetic substances that persist in the environment and human body — have been likened to “slow poisons” that may increase the risk of certain cancers, fertility troubles, liver damage and developmental delays in children.

There are over 4,700 PFAS, which are used to make items resistant to water, grease and stains.

They can be found in food packaging, cookware, waterproof clothing, firefighting foam, certain personal care products and — most recently — beer.