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[Platelet serotonin concentration in children under 5 years of age]
R De Villard1, E Flachaire, A Laujin
1Service de psychopathologie de l'enfant et de l'adolescent, hôpital neurologique, Lyon, France.
Insights
Platelet serotonin levels are naturally higher in infants and young children compared to older children and neonates. This physiological elevation is crucial for interpreting high serotonin values in early infantile autism.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Pediatrics
- Neuroscience
Context:
- Elevated platelet serotonin in early infantile autism lacks normal reference values.
- Difficulty in defining the significance of high platelet serotonin in autism.
Purpose:
- Establish reference values for platelet serotonin in normal infants and young children.
- Investigate age-related variations in platelet serotonin concentrations.
Summary:
- Studied 57 infants and children (10 days to 5 years) for platelet serotonin.
- Found significantly higher concentrations in infants/young children versus neonates and older children.
- No sex, leukocyte, or platelet count variations observed.
Impact:
- Provides essential physiological reference ranges for platelet serotonin in pediatric populations.
- Highlights the need to consider normal developmental variations when assessing autism-related serotonin levels.
- Informs future research on neurodevelopmental disorders and serotonin metabolism.
Abstract:
High platelet serotonin concentrations have been reported in children with early infantile autism. However, as yet there are no reference values regarding platelet serotonin in normal infants and young children so that it remains difficult to define the exact significance of this finding. We report here with the platelet serotonin concentration found in 57 infants and children (20 girls, 37 boys) ranging in age from 10 days to 5 years old. Our results show that mean platelet serotonin concentrations in infants and young children are significantly greater than mean values obtained in older children (+11%) and neonates in the umbilical cord (+64%). No significant variations were found relating to sex, leucocyte count and platelet count. There therefore appears to be a physiological elevation of platelet serotonin concentration in infants and young children, and this has to be taken into consideration in the interpretation of the elevated values found in cases of infantile autism.