Plasma cytokine concentrations of children with autism spectrum disorder and neurotypical siblings

Several studies of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have shown cytokine dysregulation in children with ASD, leading to a consideration of the immune theory of the ASD etiopathogenesis and a debate about cytokines as potential biomarkers of ASD. However, the results of these studies are still inconsistent. Overall, studies comparing the cytokine levels of children with ASD and neurotypical siblings achieved relatively different results than studies with control groups of non-siblings. The studies suggest that the immune profile of siblings of individuals with ASD serving as control is more similar to children with ASD than the profile of non-siblings. However, there are still only a few studies with control groups including neurotypical siblings of children with ASD. The aim of our study was to determine whether the concentration of plasma cytokine levels may differentiate children with ASD from their neurotypical siblings. The sample consisted of 40 children with ASD (mean age 7.11 years, SD 2.9) and 21 neurotypical siblings (mean age 7.38, SD 3.3). Levels of 20 cytokines were included into the statistical analysis. A multiple logistic regression model using multiple corrections showed that an increase in log-transformed plasma G-CSF (granulocyte colony stimulating factor) concentration is associated with an increased risk of the child being diagnosed as an ASD case (OR = 4.35, 95% CI 1.77, 10.73). Although the significantly increased concentration of G-CSF suggests a slightly different activity of the immune system of children with ASD, the overall cytokine profile of their siblings appeared to be very similar.

Changes in Mental Health during Three Waves of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Slovakia: Neurotypical Children versus Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Parents

The main goal of our research was to monitor changes in the mental health of Slovak families with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to families with neurotypical children during three waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. We focused on the prevalence of depression, anxiety, stress and different stressors of parents. In children, we explored maladaptive behavior and the availability of interventions for children with ASD. The data were collected using an extensive questionnaire including the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-42 questionnaire (DASS-42) and two subscales of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS-3). The research sample consisted of a total of 506 parents, 236 of whom have a child with ASD. Parents of children with ASD reported elevated anxiety during the first wave, while changes were found in parents of neurotypical children. During the second wave, the prevalence of anxiety, depression and stress experienced by parents in both groups increased, but significantly more in parents with ASD children. The internalizing maladaptive behavior of children with ASD also increased. During the third wave, no significant differences between the groups of parents were found in stress and anxiety, but parents of ASD children scored higher in depression. Externalized maladaptive behavior of neurotypical children increased, with minimal changes in children with ASD, which can be explained by the improved therapy availability for children with ASD, also observed in our study.