title: Decreased serum levels of epidermal growth factor in adult subjects with high-functioning autism.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The neurobiological basis for autism remains poorly understood. Given the role of growth factors in brain development, we hypothesized that epidermal growth factor (EGF) may play a role in the pathophysiology of autism. In this study, we examined whether serum levels of EGF are altered in adult subjects with high-functioning autism.
  
  
  METHODS
  We measured serum levels of EGF in the 17 male subjects with high-functioning autism and 18 age-matched healthy male subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The serum levels of EGF in the subjects with high-functioning autism (72.4 +/- 102.8 pg/mL [mean +/- SD]) were significantly lower (Mann-Whitney U = 22.0, p < .001) than those of normal control subjects (322.3 +/- 122.0 pg/mL [mean +/- SD]). However, there were no correlations between serum EGF levels and clinical variables in the subjects with autism.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests that decreased levels of EGF might be implicated in the pathophysiology of high-functioning autism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Katsuaki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.forename: Yasuhide
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Iwata
authors.forename: Kazuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Masatsugu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tsujii
authors.forename: Kenji J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Tsuchiya
authors.forename: Yoshimoto
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sekine
authors.forename: Shiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suda
authors.forename: Genichi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sugihara
authors.forename: Hideo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsuzaki
authors.forename: Toshiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sugiyama
authors.forename: Masayoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kawai
authors.forename: Yoshio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Minabe
authors.forename: Nori
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takei
authors.forename: Norio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mori
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016555:Matched-Pair Analysis; D012016:Reference Values; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor