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Updated: Feb 8, 2026
Testing Sensory and Multisensory Function in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Published on: April 22, 2015
Serum glutamate was elevated in children aged 3-10 years with autism spectrum disorders when they were compared with
D Khalifa1, O Shahin1, D Salem2
1Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
Insights
Serum glutamate levels were higher in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), suggesting it could be a biomarker for early detection and intervention. Further research is needed to confirm its diagnostic potential.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biochemistry
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition.
- Early diagnosis and intervention are crucial for improving outcomes in ASD.
- Identifying reliable biomarkers for ASD is a significant clinical challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate serum glutamate levels as a potential biomarker for early detection of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in children.
- To explore the correlation between serum glutamate levels and ASD diagnosis.
Main Methods:
- Serum glutamate levels were measured in 30 children (aged 3-10 years) diagnosed with ASD and 30 age-matched controls.
- The Vineland Social Maturity Scale assessed adaptive behaviors and social competence.
- The Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) evaluated autism severity.
Main Results:
- Children with ASD exhibited significantly higher mean serum glutamate levels (5.888) compared to controls (2.521) (p=0.00021).
- No significant difference in serum glutamate was observed between medicated and unmedicated ASD patients.
- Higher glutamate levels may indicate altered glutamatergic neurotransmission in ASD.
Conclusions:
- Elevated serum glutamate may serve as a potential biomarker for early ASD detection.
- Further large-scale studies are warranted to validate glutamate's role as an ASD biomarker.
- This finding could pave the way for novel diagnostic tools and therapeutic strategies for ASD.
Aim:
This study aimed to see whether measuring serum glutamate in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) could provide a biological marker that could allow early intervention.
Methods:
Serum glutamate was measured in 30 patients aged 3-10 years presenting with ASD to the Abou El Reesh Hospitals, Cairo University, Egypt and 30 matched controls without ASD in 2015. The Vineland Social Maturity Scale was applied to assess social competence, self- help skills and adaptive behaviour in both groups. The severity of autism was measured with the Childhood Autism Rating Scale test.
Results:
The patients' group showed higher mean values of serum glutamate (5.888) than the control group (2.521) and the statistical difference was significant (p = 0.00021). There was no significant difference (p = 0.151) in the serum level of glutamate between patients receiving 1-2 mg of risperidone (6.519 ± 2.851) and those who were free from any medication for at least six weeks (5.157 ± 2.184).
Conclusion:
We found higher levels of serum glutamate in subjects with ASD and this might reflect altered glutamatergic neurotransmission which may aid early ASD detection. Further investigations are needed with a large number of participants to further clarify the possibility of using glutamate as a biomarker for ASD.
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