Ramsey JM, Guest PC, Broek JA, Glennon JC, Rommelse N, Franke B, Rahmoune H, Buitelaar JK, Bahn S. Identification of an age-dependent biomarker signature in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders.
Mol Autism 2013;
4:27. [PMID:
23915542 PMCID:
PMC3751071 DOI:
10.1186/2040-2392-4-27]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2013] [Accepted: 07/11/2013] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background
Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are neurodevelopmental conditions with symptoms manifesting before the age of 3, generally persisting throughout life and affecting social development and communication. Here, we have investigated changes in protein biomarkers in blood during childhood and adolescent development.
Methods
We carried out a multiplex immunoassay profiling analysis of serum samples from 37 individuals with a diagnosis of ASD and their matched, non-affected siblings, aged between 4 and 18 years, to identify molecular pathways affected over the course of ASDs.
Results
This analysis revealed age-dependent differences in the levels of 12 proteins involved in inflammation, growth and hormonal signaling.
Conclusions
These deviations in age-related molecular trajectories provide further insight into the progression and pathophysiology of the disorder and, if replicated, may contribute to better classification of ASD individuals, as well as to improved treatment and prognosis. The results also underline the importance of stratifying and analyzing samples by age, especially in ASD and potentially other developmental disorders.
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