Elsevier

Biological Psychiatry

Volume 41, Issue 6, 15 March 1997, Pages 753-755
Biological Psychiatry

Brief report
Hyperserotoninemia and serotonin receptor antibodies in children with autism but not mental retardation

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Cited by (89)

  • Mercury as a hapten: A review of the role of toxicant-induced brain autoantibodies in autism and possible treatment considerations

    2020, Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology
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    Numerous studies reveal autoantibodies in autism, and specifically, brain autoantibodies, as listed in Table 1 [2,5,27–47]. Brain autoantibodies found in autism include autoantibodies to: (1) human neuronal progenitor cells (a biological cell that has a tendency to differentiate into a specific type of cell); (2) MBP; (3) neuron-axon filament protein (NAFP, which provides structural support for axons); (4) brain endothelial cells (a key component of the blood brain barrier); (5) serotonin receptors; (6) GFAP; (7) brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF, a member of the neurotrophin family of growth factors); (8) neuronal tissue; (9) myelin associated glycoprotein; and (10) various brain proteins in the cerebellum, hypothalamus, prefrontal cortex, cingulate gyrus, caudate putamen, cerebral cortex and caudate nucleus [2,5,27–47]. Importantly, brain autoantibodies in autism are found to correlate with the severity of the disorder [39,46].

  • Autoantibody and autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review

    2020, Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders
  • Serotonin mediated immunoregulation and neural functions: Complicity in the aetiology of autism spectrum disorders

    2015, Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
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    Hyperserotonemia, which is the most consistent findings in ASD, is linked with various immune system abnormalities. Antibodies directed against brain 5-HT1A receptors in autistic individuals with hyperserotonemia are reported (Singh et al., 1997b; Todd and Ciaranello, 1985). Furthermore, such patients showed absence of IL-2 receptors on lymphocyte cell surface (Abramson et al., 1990).

  • The neurodevelopmental effects of serotonin: A behavioural perspective

    2015, Behavioural Brain Research
    Citation Excerpt :

    Hyperserotonemia (the increase of 5-HT in blood) is considered to be the most commonly observed and well-replicated change [107–110]. Hyperserotonemia is usually defined to be a 50% increase in blood platelets of the neurotransmitter 5-HT and occurring in approximately one third of all autistic patients [111–114], implying that high 5-HT levels during development are related to the behavioural features of ASD. Paralleling blood 5-HT studies in autistic patients, in utero exposure to drugs that raise blood 5-HT levels, including cocaine and alcohol, increase rates of autism in children [115–117].

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This research was supported by grants from Willard Eccles Foundation and National Institute of Mental Health.

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