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Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Autism in Valproic Acid Animal Models

Xenobiotics and environmental toxicants cause the perturbations during embryogenesis and fetal development resulting in congenital malformations. The most vulnerable is the neural tube development due to the critical window period after the conception of the closure, cellular proliferation and differentiation. Neurodevelopmental disorders are multifactorial conditions encompassing wide categories and broad classification. Structural defects reveal as overt anatomical defects while the functional defects become apparent in the postnatal period of brain growth. Autism spectrum disorder [ASD] is an example of functional neurodevelopmental defect. The emphasis in this review is on the fact that neural tube defects are both structural and functional caused by the same teratogens such as valproic acid [VPA]. Valproic acid [VPA] has been discussed as a model teratogen for the development of neural tube defects and autism spectrum disorder [ASD].