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  • Anatomy and Neurobiology of Autism
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Role of altered brain serotonin mechanisms in autism

Molecular Psychiatry volume 7, pages S16–S17 (2002)Cite this article

Autism is a developmental disorder defined by the presence of a triad of communication, social and stereo- typical behavioral characteristics with onset before 3 years of age. Autism may be a component feature of several genetic disorders, and underlying the remaining cases of autism are undoubtedly multiple etiologies. In spite of the fact that there are various etiologies for autistic behavior, the possibility of a common neuro- chemical mechanistic feature, shared by multiple causes of autism, cannot be excluded. It is upon this premise that functional neuroimaging of groups of autistic subjects of unknown etiology is compared to nonautistic control groups in search of common biological substrates.

We have demonstrated developmental changes in serotonin synthesis capacity in children using α[C-11]methyl-L-tryptophan and positron emission tomography.1 Global brain values for serotonin synthesis capacity (K-complex) were obtained for autistic children (n = 28), their non-autistic siblings (n = 8), and epileptic children without autism (n = 16). K-complex values were plotted according to age to determine developmental changes and differences in serotonin synthesis between groups. For non-autistic children, serotonin synthesis capacity was >200% of adult values until the age of 5 years and then declined toward adult values. In autistic children, serotonin synthesis capacity increased gradually between the ages of 2 years and 11 years to values one and a half times adult normal values. In addition, we demonstrated asymmetries of α[C-11]methyl-L-tryptophan standard uptake value (SUV) in frontal cortex, thalamus and cerebellum in autistic children.2 These data suggest that humans undergo a period of high brain serotonin synthesis capacity during childhood, and that this developmental process is disrupted in autistic children with some brain regions more severely impacted.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Radiology, Wayne State University and Children's Hospital of Michigan,

    D C Chugani

  2. PET Center, Children's Hospital of Michigan, Detroit, MI, USA

    D C Chugani

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  1. D C Chugani
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Correspondence to D C Chugani.

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Chugani, D. Role of altered brain serotonin mechanisms in autism. Mol Psychiatry 7 (Suppl 2), S16–S17 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.mp.4001167

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