Whole-blood serotonin and cognitive functioning in autistic individuals and their first-degree relatives

• Published in: The journal of neuropsychiatry and clinical neurosciences Vol. 5; no. 1; pp. 94 - 101
• Main Authors: Cuccaro, M L, Wright, H H, Abramson, R K, Marsteller, F A, Valentine, J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Psychiatric Publishing 1993
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Autistic Disorder - blood; Autistic Disorder - complications; Autistic Disorder - diagnosis; Cognition Disorders - blood; Cognition Disorders - complications; Cognition Disorders - diagnosis; Family Health; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Serotonin - blood; Verbal Behavior; Wechsler Scales
• ISSN: 0895-0172; 1545-7222
• DOI: 10.1176/jnp.5.1.94

The relationship between cognitive-intellectual abilities and whole- blood serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) in 18 autistic probands and their first-degree relatives (n = 21 parents, n = 13 siblings) was investigated. Whole-blood 5-HT was significantly negatively associated with verbal-expressive/symbolic abilities for the entire sample. The proportion of variance in cognitive-intellectual performances attributable to whole-blood 5-HT was substantial in the context of variance attributable to familial classification. The relationship between verbal-expressive abilities and whole-blood 5-HT, adjusted for race and familial classification, was noteworthy. Simple correlations between 5-HT and cognitive-intellectual performances were conducted. However, bias related to covariance attributable to race seriously limits such findings. The issue of bias and its relevance to previous research is discussed further.