title: Brief Report: Whole Blood Serotonin Levels and Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Autism Spectrum Disorder.
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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA. sarah.marler@vanderbilt.edu.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marler
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, The Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA. fergusonbj@health.missouri.edu.
authors.forename: Bradley J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Ferguson
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pediatrics, Psychology, and Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA. evon.lee@vanderbilt.edu.
authors.forename: Evon Batey
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA. brittany.peters@vanderbilt.edu.
authors.forename: Brittany
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Nationwide Children's, Columbus, OH, USA. kent.williams@nationwidechildrens.org.
authors.forename: Kent C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Biostatistics Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. eimcdonnell@mgh.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Erin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: McDonnell
authors.affiliation: Biostatistics Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. emacklin@mgh.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Eric A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Macklin
authors.affiliation: Developmental Neurogenetics, Institute for the Developing Mind, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA. plevitt@med.usc.edu.|Departments of Neurogenetics, Pediatrics, Neuroscience, Pharmacy, Psychiatry, Pathology and Psychology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. plevitt@med.usc.edu.
authors.forename: Pat
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Levitt
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, Columbia, MO, USA. haganc@missouri.edu.
authors.forename: Catherine Hagan
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Gillespie
authors.affiliation: Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA. george.anderson@yale.edu.
authors.forename: George M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. kjg2133@cumc.columbia.edu.
authors.forename: Kara Gross
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Margolis
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, The Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Departments of Radiology, Neurology, and Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA. beversdorfd@health.missouri.edu.
authors.forename: David Q
authors.initials: DQ
authors.lastname: Beversdorf
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Sackler Institute for Developmental Psychobiology, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive, Mail Unit 78, New York, NY, 10032, USA. jeremy.vvw@gmail.com.|New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA. jeremy.vvw@gmail.com.|New York Presbyterian Hospital Center for Autism and the Developing Brain, White Plains, NY, USA. jeremy.vvw@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jeremy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Veenstra-VanderWeele
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D003248:Constipation / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012701:Serotonin / Q000097:blood*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D012701:Serotonin
keywords: 5-HT; Autism Treatment Network; Gastrointestinal (GI); IL-6; Medical comorbidities; Serotonin