Trace element concentrations in hair from autistic children

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Pediatrics
• Environmental Health

Background:

• Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition.
• Trace elements play crucial roles in biological processes, and their dysregulation has been implicated in various disorders.
• Scalp hair can serve as a non-invasive biomarker for assessing long-term exposure to elements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate differences in scalp hair trace element concentrations between children with autism, autistic-like features, and typically developing controls.
• To evaluate the potential of hair element analysis as a diagnostic tool for autism.

Main Methods:

• Quantification of 14 elements in scalp hair samples from three groups of children: controls, autistic, and autistic-like.
• Statistical analysis, including discriminant function analysis, to identify significant differences and discriminatory elements.
• Comparison of element levels between normal males and females.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in calcium, magnesium, and mercury levels were observed between normal males and females.
• Autistic children exhibited significantly lower levels of calcium, magnesium, copper, manganese, and chromium, and higher lithium levels compared to controls.
• Children with autistic-like features showed lower levels of magnesium, cadmium, cobalt, and manganese.
• Discriminant function analysis using 14 trace elements achieved high classification accuracy (90.5% normal, 100% autistic).
• Calcium, copper, zinc, chromium, and lithium were identified as the most discriminatory elements, enabling classification of 85.7% of normal and 91.7% of autistic individuals.

Conclusions:

• Scalp hair trace element profiles differ significantly between autistic, autistic-like, and typically developing children.
• Hair element analysis demonstrates potential as a valuable, non-invasive diagnostic aid for autism spectrum disorder.
• Further research is warranted to explore the specific roles of these elements in autism pathogenesis.