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1H NMR Metabolomics and Lipidomics To Monitor Positive Responses in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Following
Banny Silva Barbosa Correia1, João Guilherme de Moraes Pontes1, João Victor Silva Nani2,3
1Chemical Biology Laboratory, Department of Organic Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP 13083-970, Brazil.
Insights
Video modeling parental training significantly altered blood serum metabolites and lipids in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study highlights metabolomics as a tool for tracking intervention effectiveness in ASD care.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Neuroscience
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition marked by social communication and behavioral challenges.
- Parent-mediated interventions, like video modeling, offer a low-cost approach for ASD care.
- NMR-based metabolomics and lipidomics are emerging tools for studying mental health disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate serum metabolite and lipid changes in children with ASD following a video modeling parental training intervention.
- To explore the utility of metabolomics and lipidomics in monitoring clinical outcomes for ASD interventions.
Main Methods:
- Proton NMR spectroscopy was used to analyze serum metabolomics and lipidomics profiles.
- 37 children with ASD (ages 3-8) were divided into an intervention group (parental training) and a control group.
- Serum samples were compared between the groups after a 22-week intervention period.
Main Results:
- Children in the ASD parental training group showed increased serum levels of glucose, myo-inositol, malonate, proline, phenylalanine, and gangliosides.
- Conversely, cholesterol, choline, and lipid levels were decreased in the intervention group compared to controls.
- Significant alterations in serum metabolites and lipids were observed post-intervention.
Conclusions:
- Video modeling parental training induces measurable changes in the serum metabolome and lipidome of children with ASD.
- Metabolomics and lipidomics can serve as valuable biomarkers for assessing the efficacy of ASD interventions.
- This approach supports the development of objective measures for tracking treatment progress in ASD.
Abstract:
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition that is characterized by patients displaying at least two out of the classical symptoms, such as impaired social communication, impaired interactions, and restricted repetitive behavior. Early parent-mediated interventions, such as video modeling for parental training, were demonstrated to be a successful low-cost way to deliver care for children with ASD. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics/lipidomics has been successfully employed in several mental disorder studies. Metabolomics and lipidomics of 37 ASD patients (children, aged 3-8 years), who were divided into two groups, one control group with no parental-training intervention (N = 18) and the other in which the parents were trained by a video modeling intervention (ASD parental training, N = 19), were analyzed by proton NMR spectroscopy. Patients in the ASD parental-training group sera were seen to have increased glucose, myo-inositol, malonate, proline, phenylalanine, and gangliosides in their blood serum, while cholesterol, choline, and lipids were decreased, compared to the control group, who received no parental-training. Taken together, we demonstrated here significant changes in serum metabolites and lipids in ASD children, previously demonstrated to show clinical positive effects following a parental training intervention based on video modeling, delivered over 22 weeks. We demonstrate the value of applying metabolomics and lipidomics to identify potential biomarkers for clinical interventions follow-up in ASD.
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