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Updated: Nov 4, 2025
Testing Sensory and Multisensory Function in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Published on: April 22, 2015
[Association between serum trace elements and core symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorder: a national
Xin-Hui Zhang1, Ting Yang1, Jie Chen1
1Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University/National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders/Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders/Chongqing Key Laboratory of Child Nutrition and Health, Chongqing 400014, China.
Insights
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show lower serum magnesium and zinc levels. These deficiencies correlate with more severe core symptoms, highlighting the need for nutritional monitoring in ASD clinical practice.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Nutritional Science
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition characterized by social, communication, and behavioral challenges.
- Trace elements play crucial roles in neurological development and function, and their dysregulation has been implicated in various neurodevelopmental disorders.
- Understanding the relationship between specific trace elements and ASD symptomatology is essential for potential therapeutic interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between serum trace element levels and core symptoms in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
- To compare serum levels of magnesium, copper, and zinc between children with ASD and healthy controls.
- To explore the correlation between serum magnesium and zinc levels and the severity of ASD core symptoms.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study involving 1,020 children with ASD and 1,038 age- and sex-matched healthy children in China.
- Assessment of ASD core symptoms using the Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC), Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), and Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS).
- Quantification of serum magnesium, copper, and zinc levels using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.
Main Results:
- Children with ASD exhibited significantly lower serum levels of magnesium, copper, and zinc compared to healthy controls (P < 0.05).
- Severe ASD cases showed significantly reduced serum magnesium and zinc levels compared to mild-to-moderate ASD cases (P < 0.05).
- Partial correlation analysis revealed negative correlations between serum magnesium and zinc levels and the total ABC scores, as well as specific symptom subscales (P < 0.001).
Conclusions:
- Serum levels of magnesium and zinc may be linked to the manifestation of core symptoms in children with ASD.
- These findings suggest that monitoring the nutritional status of trace elements is important in the clinical management of children with ASD.
- Further research is warranted to elucidate the precise mechanisms and clinical implications of these associations.
Objective:
To study the association of serum levels of trace elements with core symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Methods:
From September 2018 to September 2019, an investigation was performed for 1 020 children with ASD and 1 038 healthy children matched for age and sex in the outpatient service of grade A tertiary hospitals and special education institutions in 13 cities of China. Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC), Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), and Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) were used to assess the core symptoms of the children with ASD. The inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was used to measure serum levels of trace elements magnesium, iron, copper, and zinc.
Results:
The children with ASD had significantly lower serum levels of magnesium, copper, and zinc than the healthy children (P < 0.05). The children with severe ASD had significantly lower serum levels of magnesium and zinc than those with mild-to-moderate ASD (P < 0.05). The results of partial correlation analysis showed that serum magnesium level was negatively correlated with the total score of ABC and the score of communication (r=-0.318 and -0.282 respectively; P 0.001), and serum zinc level was negatively correlated with the total score of ABC and the scores of communication and somatic movement (r=-0.221, -0.270, and -0.207 respectively; P < 0.001).
Conclusions:
The serum levels of magnesium and zinc may be associated with core symptoms in children with ASD, which requires further studies. The nutritional status of trace elements should be monitored for children with ASD in clinical practice.
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