Brief Report: Whole Blood Serotonin Levels and Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Sarah Marler; Bradley J Ferguson; Evon Batey Lee; Brittany Peters; Kent C Williams; Erin McDonnell; Eric A Macklin; Pat Levitt; Catherine Hagan Gillespie; George M Anderson; Kara Gross Margolis; David Q Beversdorf; Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele

doi:10.1007/s10803-015-2646-8

Brief Report: Whole Blood Serotonin Levels and Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Autism Spectrum Disorder

J Autism Dev Disord. 2016 Mar;46(3):1124-30. doi: 10.1007/s10803-015-2646-8.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA. [email protected].
² Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, The Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA. [email protected].
³ Departments of Pediatrics, Psychology, and Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA. [email protected].
⁴ Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA. [email protected].
⁵ Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Nationwide Children's, Columbus, OH, USA. [email protected].
⁶ Biostatistics Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. [email protected].
⁷ Biostatistics Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. [email protected].
⁸ Developmental Neurogenetics, Institute for the Developing Mind, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA. [email protected].
⁹ Departments of Neurogenetics, Pediatrics, Neuroscience, Pharmacy, Psychiatry, Pathology and Psychology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. [email protected].
¹⁰ Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, Columbia, MO, USA. [email protected].
¹¹ Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA. [email protected].
¹² Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. [email protected].
¹³ Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, The Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Departments of Radiology, Neurology, and Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA. [email protected].
¹⁴ Department of Psychiatry and Sackler Institute for Developmental Psychobiology, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive, Mail Unit 78, New York, NY, 10032, USA. [email protected].
¹⁵ New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA. [email protected].
¹⁶ New York Presbyterian Hospital Center for Autism and the Developing Brain, White Plains, NY, USA. [email protected].

Abstract

Elevated whole blood serotonin levels are observed in more than 25% of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Co-occurring gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are also common in ASD but have not previously been examined in relationship with hyperserotonemia, despite the synthesis of serotonin in the gut. In 82 children and adolescents with ASD, we observed a correlation between a quantitative measure of lower GI symptoms and whole blood serotonin levels. No significant association was seen between functional constipation diagnosis and serotonin levels in the hyperserotonemia range, suggesting that this correlation is not driven by a single subgroup. More specific assessment of gut function, including the microbiome, will be necessary to evaluate the contribution of gut physiology to serotonin levels in ASD.

Keywords: 5-HT; Autism Treatment Network; Gastrointestinal (GI); IL-6; Medical comorbidities; Serotonin.

Publication types

Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Autism Spectrum Disorder / blood*
Autism Spectrum Disorder / diagnosis*
Autism Spectrum Disorder / epidemiology
Biomarkers / blood
Child
Constipation / blood
Constipation / diagnosis
Constipation / epidemiology
Female
Gastrointestinal Diseases / blood*
Gastrointestinal Diseases / diagnosis*
Gastrointestinal Diseases / epidemiology
Humans
Male
Serotonin / blood*
Surveys and Questionnaires

Substances

Biomarkers
Serotonin

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding