Investigation of the serum levels of anterior pituitary hormones in male children with autism

Using a suspension array system, we determined the serum levels of six anterior pituitary hormones, including adrenocorticotropic hormone and growth hormone, in 32 drug-naive subjects (aged 6 to 18 years, all boys) with autism, and 34 healthy controls matched for age and gender. We also determined cortisol levels in these subjects by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Serum levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone, growth hormone and cortisol were significantly higher in subjects with autism than in controls. In addition, there was a significantly positive correlation between cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone levels in autism.Our results suggest that increased basal serum levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone accompanied by increased cortisol and growth hormone may be useful biological markers for autism.Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder, categorised as a pervasive developmental disorder, and is characterised by severe and sustained impairment in social interaction, by deviance in communication, and patterns of behaviour and interest. The aetiology of autism is not well understood, although it is thought to involve genetic, immunologic and environmental factors [1]. The diagnosis of autism is based solely on behavioural characteristics, as there is currently no biological marker for autism.Several studies have examined anterior pituitary hormones as possible biological markers for autism [2-8]. The anterior pituitary gland synthesises and secretes adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), growth hormone (GH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and prolactin (PRL). Of these hormones, ACTH deserves special attention, because it is the hormone involved in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which may be affected in autism [3,4,6,9-11]. The HPA axis is the basis for emotion and social interaction, through the synthesis and/or release of corticotropin-releasing hormone, ACTH and cortisol. All pre