Low levels of insulin-like growth factor-I in cerebrospinal fluid in children with autism.
Autism is a behaviourally defined syndrome characterized by disturbances of social interaction and communication and restrictions of behaviour patterns and imagination. The pathogenesis of autism is unknown but it is suspected that a number of genetic factors may be involved. Neurotrophic factors such as insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) play a role in early brain development. The aim of this study was to determine whether IGF-I levels might be associated with the development of autism. IGF-I levels were measured in the CSF of 11 children with autism (4 females, 7 males; mean age 3.8 years, SD 1.1) using a sensitive radioimmunoassay method and compared with levels in 11 control participants (6 females, 5 males; mean age 3.8 years). Levels of IGF-I in the CSF were statistically significantly lower in the children with autism than in the control children (p=0.03). IGF-I may play a role in pathogenetic mechanisms of autism and the role of neurotrophic factors in autism and other neurodevelopmental diseases should be studied further.
Vanhala
R
R
Unit of Child Neurology, Hospital for Children and Adolescents, Helsinki, Finland. raija.vanhala@huch.fi
Turpeinen
U
U
Riikonen
R
R
D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012016:Reference Values
D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I