California-based Biolog, Inc., creator of cell analysis technologies for biomedical research, has announced what company representatives call a breakthrough in autism research. In a paper published in the journal Molecular Autism, researchers from the Greenwood Genetic Center reported a 100% correlation (87 of 87) of decreased metabolism of L-tryptophan in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders or ASDs. The metabolic alteration was not seen in 128 of 128 controls sampled from normal and other neurologically-impaired populations. This is the first time L-tryptophan metabolism has been definitively linked to ASDs. The connection may lead to a better understanding of the biochemistry underlying ASDs and direct studies toward effective diagnosis and treatment.
Using Biolog’s proprietary Phenotype MicroArray (PM) technology, researchers measured metabolic pathway activities in transformed blood cells sampled from diverse populations and found that decreased metabolism of L-tryptophan was present in all samples from patients with confirmed diagnosis of ASDs. L-tryptophan is an amino acid that is converted to form many important neurochemicals including serotonin, kynurenine, kynurenic acid, and quinolinic acid. These neurochemicals have potent effects on developing brains and an alteration in their production provides a hypothesis that could explain autism and lead to a treatment or an approach to prevention. In the shorter term, it may provide the basis for a blood test that could offer an early screening of ASDs.
This study was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and the South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs. Read the study.
