유아자폐증의 정신병리과 혈소판 혈장 세로토닌 농도와의 상관관계

Relationship between the Psychopathology and the Concentration of Serotonin in Platelet Rich Plasma of Infantile Autism

We attempted to investigate the abnormalities of serotonergic system in infantile autism, and to find the relationship between the abnormalities of serotonergic system and the psychopathology of infantile autism. In this study, the concentrations of 5-HT in platelet rich plasma(PRP) were compared among autistic, atypically autistic and control groups, and the psychopathology of infantile autism, measured with Childhood Autism Rating Scale(CARS), was correlated with the concentrations of 5-HT in PRP in autism or atypical autism group. The subjects of this study were 48 autistic patients, 14 atypically autistic patients and 38 control children and the concentration of 5-HT was measured using HPLC-ECD(High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Electrochemical Detection) method. The results were as follows : 1) The concentration of PRP 5-HT in patients with atypical autism and autism was significantly higher than that of control children, and patients with atypical autism showed the highest level. 2) The concentration of PRP 5-HT was related with 8th CARS item, abnormal auditory responsiveness, in autistic group. But there was no significant correlation in atypically autistic group. 3) Age was not significantly associated with the concentration of PRP 5-HT in autistic, atypically autistic and control groups. 4) The cognitive function(SQ) was not significantly associated with the concentration of PRP 5-HT in autistic and atypically autistic groups. 5) No significant sex difference of PRP 5-HT concentration was found in the autistic， atypically autistic and control groups. These results suggest that both autism and atypical autism are related with the abnormality of serotonergic system, and the high 5-HT level is related with the symptom of abnormal auditory responsiveness in children with infantile autism.