ABSTRACT
ACKGROUND:Autism is a kind of neurobiological disease.The increase of plasma concentration of 5 hydroxytryptamine(5 HT) is considered to be one of study results,which is the most definite and has the best repetition,for the biological investigation of autism. Whether the season of birth and maternal mood during pregnancy are correlated with the occurrence of autism? OBJECTIVE:To compare the differences of the plasma concentration of 5 HT,season of birth and the maternal mood during pregnancy between autistic and normal children,and probe into the cause of increased 5 HT in autism. DESIGN:An observational comparative study taking autistic and normal children as the subjects. SETTINGS:A clinical psychological department of a university hospital;Mental Health Institute of the Xiangya Second Hospital;A rehabilitation center for dumb children of city grade. PARTICIPANTS:Children in the autistic group(n=54),who were in accordance with the diagnostic criteria of autism in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition(DSM IV) and had the total score of social adaptive ability scale(SAAS) over 40, were selected from the Outpatient Clinic for Children of the Mental Health Institute,Xiangya Second Hospital of Central South University and the training class of autism of Shenzhen Special Education School;Children in the normal control group,who had no obvious somatic and neurological diseases,and developing delay detected by physical,neurological and mental status examinations, rough detection of developing level,were selected from the primary school and kindergarten in Changsha and Shenzhen cities. INTERVENTIONS:The plasma level of 5 HT was examined, season of birth and maternal mood during pregnancy were investigated in autistic and normal children.The children with autism were accessed with SAAS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:The plasma level of 5 HT,the season of birth and the maternal mood during pregnancy in both groups. RESULTS:The score of SAAS in children with autism was 67.65± 1.67.The plasma level of 5 HT was(0.78± 0.32) μ mol/L in the autistic group,which was significantly higher than that in the normal control group [(0.62± 0.16) μ mol/L](t=3.17,P=0.002). There were 17 children with autism had increased 5 HT.Compare with normal children,most children with autism were born in winter and spring,and their mother had obvious mood problems during pregnancy. CONCLUSION:The 5 HT level is higher in children with autism than in normal children.Most children with autism were born in winter and spring,and their mother had obvious emotional problems during pregnancy.There are phase of high functioning of 5 HT in mother in key period of fetus cerebra development that may be one of the causes of hyperserotonemia in autism,and that is possibly one of the etiologies of autism.