Relative Carnitine Deficiency in Autism

A random retrospective chart review was conducted to document serum carnitine levels on 100 children with autism. Concurrently drawn serum pyruvate, lactate, ammonia, and alanine levels were also available in many of these children. Values of free and total carnitine ([rho] less than 0.001), and pyr...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of autism and developmental disorders 2004-12, Vol.34 (6), p.615-623
Main Authors: Filipek, Pauline A, Juranek, Jenifer, Nguyen, Minh T, Cummings, Christa, Gargus, J. Jay
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Alanine - blood
Amino acids
Autism
Autistic Disorder - diagnosis
Autistic Disorder - metabolism
Biological and medical sciences
Biophysics
Carnitine - blood
Carnitine - deficiency
Charts
Child
Child clinical studies
Child, Preschool
Children
Comorbidity
Cytology
Developmental disorders
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Energy
Etiology
Evidence
Female
Genetic Disorders
Humans
Hyperammonemia - blood
Infantile autism
Interpersonal Relationship
Laboratories
Lactic Acid - blood
Male
Measurement Techniques
Medical sciences
Mitochondrial disorders
Molecular Biology
Neurology
Nonverbal Communication
Organic Chemistry
Patients
Psychological Patterns
Psychological Testing
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Pyruvic Acid - blood
Retrospective Studies
Test Results
Vitamin deficiency
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:A random retrospective chart review was conducted to document serum carnitine levels on 100 children with autism. Concurrently drawn serum pyruvate, lactate, ammonia, and alanine levels were also available in many of these children. Values of free and total carnitine ([rho] less than 0.001), and pyruvate ([rho]=0.006) were significantly reduced while ammonia and alanine levels were considerably elevated ([rho] less than 0.001) in our autistic subjects. The relative carnitine deficiency in these patients, accompanied by slight elevations in lactate and significant elevations in alanine and ammonia levels, is suggestive of mild mitochondrial dysfunction. It is hypothesized that a mitochondrial defect may be the origin of the carnitine deficiency in these autistic children.
ISSN:0162-3257
1573-3432
DOI:10.1007/s10803-004-5283-1