Abstract
Hyperserotonemia, or elevated levels of whole blood serotonin (WB5-HT), was the first biomarker linked to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Despite numerous studies investigating the etiology of hyperserotonemia, results have been inconsistent. Recent findings suggest a relationship between the immune system and hyperserotonemia. The current study investigated whether intestinal 5-HT levels, 5-HT gene expression, or intestinal cell types predict WB5-HT. Participants included thirty-one males aged 3–18 who were classified into one of three groups: ASD and functional GI issues, typically developing with GI issues, and typically developing without GI issues. Samples from a lower endoscopy were analyzed to examine the pathways in predicting WB-5HT. Results demonstrated an association between T-Lymphocytes and WB5-HT.
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Funding was provided by Autism Speaks, and Maternal and Child Health Bureau.
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KW and JV contributed to study conception and design. KW led the characterization of the participants and the collection of blood and biopsy samples. RAL, TS, VP, and GA conducted key experiments and analysis on the blood and biopsy samples. MZK, MD, and LS conducted statistical analyses. All authors contributed to interpretation of data and analyses. The first draft of the manuscript was written by MZK and MD, and all authors contributed to editing the previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the submitted manuscript.
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Dr. Veenstra-VanderWeele has received research support from the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the Simons Foundation, Roche, and Janssen. He has served on advisory boards/DSMB for Roche, Autism Speaks, the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, and the Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials Network. He has also served as a site investigator for trials sponsored by these organizations. In the case of industry advisory boards or consulting, his employer has received payment for his time, and he does not have access to these funds. He has served as associate editor of Autism Research, as a special issue editor for Pediatrics, and on the editorial boards of JAMA Psychiatry, the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Autism, and the Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders. He has received honoraria from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Science, Florida Atlantic University, the University of California, Los Angeles, Stanford University, the Child Mind Institute, Pennsylvania State University, and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Dr. Tor Savidge received research funding from Merck, Nivalis, Cubist, Mead Johnson, Rebiotix, BioFire, Assembly BioSciences, and has served on the advisory board for Rebiotix and BioFire. No conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise, are declared by the other authors.
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Zuniga-Kennedy, M., Davoren, M., Shuffrey, L.C. et al. Intestinal Predictors of Whole Blood Serotonin Levels in Children With or Without Autism. J Autism Dev Disord 52, 3780–3789 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05597-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05597-w