Вестник восстановительной медицины (Apr 2022)

Dynamics of Neuromodulatory and Hormonal Systems in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders under the Dolphin Therapy Influence

  • Anna V. Nuvoli,
  • Nikolay N. Kaladze,
  • Tatiana F. Golubova,
  • Mikhail V. Nikitin

DOI
https://doi.org/10.38025/2078-1962-2022-21-2-108-114
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 21, no. 2
pp. 108 – 114

Abstract

Read online

An important part of the rehabilitation process in children with autism is the search for effective methods that affect the main pathogeneticmechanisms.Aim. To evaluate the effect of dolphin therapy (DT) on the monoaminergic and hormonal systems in children with autism spectrumdisorders (ASD).Material and methods. 47 children with ASD – (F84) aged 3 to 14 years were examined. The I group – 23 children who received thebasic sanatorium-resort treatment (SRT); the II group – 24 children got a course of DT. The checkup included examination by specialists,evaluation of serotonin, norepinephrine and cortisol in the blood serum before and after the treatment complexes.Results and discussion. There was a significant decrease in serotonin and norepinephrine, an increase in cortisol in children with ASD.After the treatment, there was a significant increase in norepinephrine levels and decrease in cortisol with an average degree of ASDin the group I, increasing in serotonin, norepinephrine and decrease in cortisol with all degrees of ASD severity in the II group. Manymental disorders are controlled not by the levels of serotonin and norepinephrine, but by their balance in content. The conducted basicSRT increases the level of norepinephrine and reduces the cortisol content in children with moderate severity of autism, without affectingsevere forms of ASD. The use of DT in the basic HRT contributed to an increase in the content of serotonin and norepinephrine anda decrease in cortisol in moderate and severe autism, which had a positive effect on clinical indicators (manifestations of hyperactivity,phobias, aggression and autoaggression decreased, cognitive abilities, attention, speech functions improved).Conclusions. A close relationship has been established between monoamines and cortisol in children with ASD and their participationin the pathogenetic mechanisms of the disease. The inclusion of the DT in the SRT course contributes to breaking the vicious circle andnormalizing the relationship between monoamines and cortisol in children with ASD.

Keywords