A Systematic Review on Autism and Hyperserotonemia: State-of-the-Art, Limitations, and Future Directions

Dario Esposito; Gianluca Cruciani; Laura Zaccaro; Emanuele Di Carlo; Grazia Fernanda Spitoni; Filippo Manti; Claudia Carducci; Elena Fiori; Vincenzo Leuzzi; Tiziana Pascucci

doi:10.3390/brainsci14050481

Brain Sciences (May 2024)

A Systematic Review on Autism and Hyperserotonemia: State-of-the-Art, Limitations, and Future Directions

Dario Esposito,
Gianluca Cruciani,
Laura Zaccaro,
Emanuele Di Carlo,
Grazia Fernanda Spitoni,
Filippo Manti,
Claudia Carducci,
Elena Fiori,
Vincenzo Leuzzi,
Tiziana Pascucci

Affiliations

Dario Esposito: Department of Human Neuroscience, Unit of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Via dei Sabelli 108, 00185 Rome, Italy
Gianluca Cruciani: Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Sapienza University of Rome, Via degli Apuli 1, 00185 Rome, Italy
Laura Zaccaro: Department of Psychology, Sapienza University, Via dei Marsi 78, 00185 Rome, Italy
Emanuele Di Carlo: Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161 Rome, Italy
Grazia Fernanda Spitoni: Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Sapienza University of Rome, Via degli Apuli 1, 00185 Rome, Italy
Filippo Manti: Department of Human Neuroscience, Unit of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Via dei Sabelli 108, 00185 Rome, Italy
Claudia Carducci: Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161 Rome, Italy
Elena Fiori: Rome Technopole Foundation, P.le Aldo Moro, 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
Vincenzo Leuzzi: Department of Human Neuroscience, Unit of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Via dei Sabelli 108, 00185 Rome, Italy
Tiziana Pascucci: Department of Psychology, Sapienza University, Via dei Marsi 78, 00185 Rome, Italy

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14050481
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 14, no. 5
p. 481

Abstract

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Hyperserotonemia is one of the most studied endophenotypes in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but there are still no unequivocal results about its causes or biological and behavioral outcomes. This systematic review summarizes the studies investigating the relationship between blood serotonin (5-HT) levels and ASD, comparing diagnostic tools, analytical methods, and clinical outcomes. A literature search on peripheral 5-HT levels and ASD was conducted. In total, 1104 publications were screened, of which 113 entered the present systematic review. Of these, 59 articles reported hyperserotonemia in subjects with ASD, and 26 presented correlations between 5-HT levels and ASD-core clinical outcomes. The 5-HT levels are increased in about half, and correlations between hyperserotonemia and clinical outcomes are detected in a quarter of the studies. The present research highlights a large amount of heterogeneity in this field, ranging from the characterization of ASD and control groups to diagnostic and clinical assessments, from blood sampling procedures to analytical methods, allowing us to delineate critical topics for future studies.

Published in Brain Sciences

ISSN: 2076-3425 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Medicine: Internal medicine: Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry
Website: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/brainsci/

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Abstract

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