Konstantin Yenkoyan: When Does the Developing Brain Need Iron Most? – Implications for Autism
Konstantin Yenkoyan, Scientist in Chief at Cobrain Center, Vice Rector for science at Yerevan State Medical University named after Mkhitar Heratsi, shared a post on LinkedIn about a recent article he and his colleagues co-authored, published in BioMetals:
“When Does the Developing Brain Need Iron Most? Implications for Autism
In our recent review published in BioMetals (Springer Nature), we highlight that iron demand reaches its highest levels during the late prenatal (25–40 weeks) and early postnatal (0–6 months) periods of brain development – critical windows that overlap with the maturation of neural circuits implicated in autism.
During these developmental windows, the fetal and neonatal brain accumulates approximately 80% of its total iron content, supporting key neurodevelopmental processes, including:
- Synaptogenesis and neuronal maturation
- Myelination and axonal development
- Dopaminergic neurotransmission
- Neural circuit formation and plasticity
The figure summarizes brain-region-specific iron demand across development, highlighting ASD-relevant circuits involving the basal ganglia, hippocampus, substantia nigra, cerebellum, and cortical networks.
The take-home message is simple: timing matters.
Disturbances in iron availability during critical prenatal and early postnatal windows may have disproportionate effects on neurodevelopment.”
Title: Iron dysregulation in the central nervous system: implications for autism spectrum disorder
Authors: Geir Bjørklund, Hasmik Harutyunyan, Zaven Mkrtchyan, Ella Baghdasaryan, Tamara Avetisyan, Nagwa A. Meguid, Fatma Hussein, Konstantin Yenkoyan
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