Background & Objectives: It has been hypothesized that abnormal levels of serum nerve growth factor (NGF) may represent a serological marker for autistic children who may develop cognitive impairment, regression and finally epilepsy. The objective of this preliminary study was to measure serum NGF concentrations of autistic children and compare these levels with those of healthy children.
Methods: Consecutive children who were referred to the Paediatric Neurology and Child Psychiatry Policlinics of Dr. Behçet Uz Child Disease and Pediatric Surgery Training and Research Hospital, Turkey between February and September 2008 were included in the study. Serum samples were analyzed for NGF levels using ChemiKine NGF Sandwich ELISA Kit. Comparisons between the study and the control groups were made using student's t test and Chi-square test.
Results: Forty-nine autistic children and an equal number of healthy children (control group) were included in the study. No significant difference was found between the study and the control groups in terms of children's age, while number of boys was significantly higher (P<0.05) in the study group. Average serum NGF concentrations were 46.94 ± 51.40 and 32.94 ± 12.48 pg/ml in the study and control group, respectively. Serum NGF concentrations were significantly higher (P<0.05) in the study group compared with the control group.
Interpretation & Conclusions: Our preliminary findings show that enhanced serum NGF concentration may be used as a potential diagnostic tool in autism, however, further studies including a large number of patients are required to confirm the findings.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3978979 | PMC |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
X-Linked Autism Type 9 Caused by a Hemizygote Pathogenic Variant in the Gene: Etiological Diagnosis in an Adult Male with Moderate Intellectual Disability.
Int Med Case Rep J
January 2025
Vincent van Gogh Centre of Excellence for Neuropsychiatry, Venray, The Netherlands.
Introduction: Levocarnitine is essential for brain functioning and fatty acid metabolism and stems largely from dietary sources. The Epsilon-Trimethyllysine Hydroxylase () gene encodes the enzyme N-Trimethyllysine hydroxylase (TMLH) which catalyses the first step in the biosynthesis of carnitine. Lack of TMLH enzyme activity is associated with developmental delay and autistic behaviours described as X-linked recessive autism, type 6 (OMIM#300872).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCaregiver report of infant behavior associated with autism likelihood in first year of life.
Pediatr Res
January 2025
Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO, USA.
Background: Identification of prodromal indicators of autism in infancy has the potential to identify behaviors relevant to early autism screening.
Methods: We report on data from a prospective general population birth cohort with maternal reported measures at 9 and 12 months: the Survey of Well-Being of Young Children (SWYC; general developmental surveillance) and the First Year Inventory-Lite v3.1b (FYI-Lite; autism specific parent report research tool).
Clinical and genetic spectrum of patients with IRF2BPL syndrome.
J Hum Genet
January 2025
Department of Human Genetics, Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Japan.
Interferon regulatory factor 2 binding protein-like (IRF2BPL) is a single-exon gene that is ubiquitously expressed in various tissues, including the brain. IRF2BPL encodes a transcription factor with two zinc-finger domains that potentially downregulate WNT signaling in the nervous system. Pathogenic IRF2BPL variants have been reported to cause developmental delay, seizures, myoclonus epilepsies, autistic spectrum disorder, and other neurodevelopmental disorders.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExamining Concurrent Associations Between Gesture Use, Developmental Domains, and Autistic Traits in Toddlers With Down Syndrome.
J Speech Lang Hear Res
January 2025
Down Syndrome Program, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, MA.
Purpose: Toddlers with Down syndrome (DS) showcase comparable or higher rates of gestures than chronological age- and language-matched toddlers without DS. Little is known about how gesture use in toddlers with DS relates to multiple domains of development, including motor, pragmatics, language, and visual reception (VR) skills. Unexplored is whether gesture use is a good marker of social communication skills in DS or if gesture development might be more reliably a marker of motor, language, pragmatics, or VR skills.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!