abstr: Cerebrospinal fluid and serum markers of inflammation in autism.

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Pediatr Neurol. 2005 Sep;33(3):195-201.

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Cerebrospinal fluid and serum markers of inflammation in autism.Zimmerman AW, Jyonouchi H, Comi AM, Connors SL, Milstien S, Varsou A, Heyes MP.Department of Neurology and Developmental Medicine, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore land; Department of Neurology, s Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, land.Systemic immune abnormalities have no known relevance to brain dysfunction in autism. In order to find evidence for neuroinflammation, we compared levels of sensitive indicators of immune activation: quinolinic acid, neopterin, and biopterin, as well as multiple cytokines and cytokine receptors, in cerebrospinal fluid and serum from children with autism, to control subjects with other neurologic disorders. In cerebrospinal fluid from 12 children with autism, quinolinic acid (P = 0.037) and neopterin (P = 0.003) were decreased, and biopterin (P = 0.040) was elevated, compared with control subjects. In sera from 35 persons with autism, among cytokines, only tumor necrosis factor receptor II was elevated compared with controls (P < 0.02). Decreased quinolinic acid and neopterin in cerebrospinal fluid are paradoxical and suggest dysmaturation of metabolic pathways and absence of concurrent infection, respectively, in autism. Alternatively, they may be produced by microglia but remain localized and not expressed in cerebrospinal fluid.PMID: 16139734 [PubMed - in process]