Introduction
Methods
Study design
Clinical evaluation
Steroid analysis
Statistical analysis
Results
Demographic and clinical data
Demographic data | Males | Females |
p (t-student) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Autistic | Control | Autistic | Control | ||
Age groups I (3–4 years) | AM I | CM I | AF I | CF I | |
N
| 23 | 19 | 22 | 16 | |
Mean age | 3.7 ± 0.1 | 3.5 ± 0.1 | 3.9 ± 0.2* | 3.4 ± 0.1 | 0.04 |
Weight at birth (g) | 3,487 ± 118 | 3,467 ± 123 | 3,241 ± 76 | 3,239 ± 124 | |
Head circumference at birth (cm) | 34.2 ± 0.3 | 34.0 ± 0.4 | 33.7 ± 0.3 | 33.3 ± 0.4 | |
Gestational age at birth (weeks) | 38.8 ± 0.3 | 39.3 ± 0.4 | 39.1 ± 0.3 | 39.1 ± 0.4 | |
Apgar score | 9.4 ± 0.3 | 9.5 ± 0.2 | 9.5 ± 0.4 | 10 ± 0 | |
Mother’s age at birth | 28.8 ± 0.6 | 28.4 ± 0.9 | 27.7 ± 0.9* | 31.1 ± 0.9 | 0.01 |
Father’s age at birth | 30.7 ± 0.8 | 31.5 ± 1.0 | 29.6 ± 1.1 | 33.3 ± 1.4 |
Age groups II (7–9 years) | AM II | CM II | AF II | CF II | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
N
| 20 | 17 | 13 | 18 | |
Mean age | 8.2 ± 0.2 | 8.4 ± 0.2 | 7.7 ± 0.2* | 8.4 ± 1.4 | 0.008 |
Weight at birth (g) | 3,272 ± 207 | 3,466 ± 159 | 2,756 ± 227* | 3,417 ± 119 | 0.01 |
Head circumference at birth (cm) | 33.9 ± 0.8 | 34.1 ± 0.5 | 32.1 ± 0.8 | 33.7 ± 0.4 | |
Gestational age at birth (weeks) | 38.2 ± 0.8 | 38.7 ± 0.4 | 37.2 ± 1.0* | 39.4 ± 0.4 | 0.04 |
Apgar score | 8.5 ± 0.6 | 9.5 ± 0.2 | 8.7 ± 0.4* | 9.6 ± 0.2 | 0.03 |
Mother’s age at birth | 27.6 ± 0.8 | 27.8 ± 1.0 | 28.2 ± 1.6 | 27.0 ± 0.9 | |
Father’s age at birth | 29.9 ± 0.9 | 29.6 ± 0.8 | 30.4 ± 1.3 | 28.5 ± 0.8 |
Clinical features | Males | Females |
p (Chi-square) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Age groups I (3–4 years) | AM I | CM I | AF I | CF I | |
Abnormal development (%) | 25.0 | 5.3 | 31.8* | 0 | 0.01 |
Regress (%) | 83.0* | 0 | 81.8* | 0 | <0.001 |
Hyperactivity (%) | 63.0* | 0 | 63.6* | 0 | <0.001 |
CARS total scores | 44.0 ± 1.4 | 45.7 ± 1.3 | |||
DSM IV A | 9.5 ± 0.3 | 9.6 ± 0.2 |
Age groups II (7–9 years) | AM II | CM II | AF II | CF II | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Abnormal development (%) | 55.0 | 11.8 | 69.2* | 5.6 | 0.05 |
Regress (%) | 55.0* | 0 | 76.9* | 0 | <0.001 |
Hyperactivity (%) | 40.0* | 0 | 53.8* | 0 | <0.001 |
CARS total scores | 39.3 ± 1.2 | 42.8 ± 1.7 | |||
DSM IV A | 10.2 ± 0.2 | 10.1 ± 0.3 |
Salivary Steroids
Steroid | AM I (Autism)
N = 23 | CM I (Control)
N = 19 |
p*,** Autism/control | AM II (Autism) (N = 20) | CM II (Control) (N = 17) |
p*,** Autism/control |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
C21 steroids
| ||||||
Pregnenolone | 2.675 (0.321)
2.457
| 2.061 (0.171)
2.143
| 4.454 (0.682)**
3.593
##
| 1.295 (0.133)
1.264
| <0.01 | |
Pregnenolone-C | 8.261 (0.936)
8.387
| 6.171 (1.030)
4.752
| 9.931 (1.993)
6.611
| 5.854 (0.551)
5.994
| ||
20α-Dihydropregnenolone | 0.819 (0.102)
0.863
| 0.652 (0.090)
0.517
| 1.196 (0.141)**
1.068
#
| 0.363 (0.046)
0.312
##
| <0.01 | |
20α-Dihydopregnenolone-C | 3.825 (0.494)
3.465
| 1.891 (0.333)
1.575
| 5.199 (0.976)*
4.333
| 2.060 (0.598)
1.526
| <0.05 | |
P3α5α (Allopregnanolone) | 0.112 (0.010)
0.111
| 0.130 (0.011)
0.110
| 0.177 (0.029)**
0.145
| 0.030 (0.008)
0.016
##
| <0.01 | |
P3α5α-C (Allopregnanolone-C) | 0.616 (0.162)
0.266
| 0.799 (0.191)
0.410
| 0.669 (0.169)
0.572
| 0.744 (0.174)
0.377
| ||
P3β5α-C (Isopregnanolone-C) | 4.392 (1.512)
2.661
| 2.544 (0.274)
2.509
| 5.364 (0.799)*
4.445*
| 3.108 (0.705)
2.099
| <0.05 | |
P3β5β-C (Epipregnanolone-C) | 2.901 (0.301)
2.790
| 4.765 (1.106)
3.251
| 4.587 (0.983)**
3.429
| 2.045 (0.463)
1.429
##
| <0.01 | |
Cortisol | 3.332 (1.024)
2.421
| 2.178 (0.288)
2.071
| 3.844 (0.730)
2.597
| 3.631 (0.381)
3.514
| ||
C19 steroids
| ||||||
DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) | 2.282 (0.315)
1.944
| 1.424 (0.221)
1.076
| 5.522 (1.934)**
3.361
##
| 0.880 (0.106)
0.799
| <0.01 | |
DHEA-C (Dehydroepiandrosterone-C) | 69.66 (30.05)*
16.229
| 7.702 (1.440)
6.840
| <0.05 | 560.05 (278.11)**
43.198
##
| 39.06 (23.82)
9.702
##
| <0.01 |
DHEA-7o | 2.648 (0.301)
1.910
| 1.795 (0.269)
1.766
| 3.331 (0.691)*
2.607
| 1.345 (0.199)
0.935
| 0.05 | |
Androstenediol | 1.468 (0.171)
1.321
| 1.015 (0.129)
0.859
| 1.746 (0.206)**
1.599
| 0.637 (0.091)
0.598
#
| <0.01 | |
Androstendione | 0.346 (0.059)
0.247
| 0.496 (0.282)
0.179
| 0.851 (0.526)
0.346
| 0.258 (0.082)
0.150
| ||
A3α5α (Androsterone) | 0.086 (0.015)
0.061
| 0.044 (0.007)
0.036
| 0.069 (0.019)
0.063
| 0.087 (0.016)
0.068
| ||
A3α5α-C (Androsterone-C) | 6.972 (1.767)*
3.756
| 3.057 (0.770)
1.984
| 0.010 | 9.919 (1.509)**
9.669
| 1.379 (0.222)
1.074
| <0.01 |
A3α5β (Etiocholanolone) | 0.043 (0.008)
0.041
| 0.068 (0.024)
0.032
| 0.072 (0.014)**
0.061
| 0.015 (0.003)
0.012
| <0.01 | |
A3α5β-C (Etiocholanolone-C) | 2.286 (0.401)
1.429
| 1.857 (0.327)
1.348
| 3.085 (0.961)**
1.935
| 0.533 (0.148)
0.265
| <0.01 | |
A3β5α (Epiandrosterone) | 0.156 (0.019)
0.166
| 0.105 (0.012)
0.112
| 0.402 (0.223)**
0.182
##
| 0.075 (0.011)
0.064
| <0.01 | |
A3β5α-C (Epiandrosterone-C) | 5.917 (1.364)
4.392
| 3.758 (0.399)
3.637
| 22.22 (8.214)**
7.969
#
| 2.062 (0.763)
0.914
| <0.01 | |
AT-7α (5-Androstene-3β,7α,17β-triol) | 0.589 (0.076)*
0.484
| 0.308 (0.043)
0.266
| <0.05 | 0.569 (0.062)**
0.553
| 0.186 (0.029)
0.159
| <0.01 |
AT-7β (5-Androstene-3β,7β,17β-triol) | 0.373 (0.044)*
0.361
| 0.220 (0.030)
0.180
| <0.05 | 0.410 (0.047)**
0.379
| 0.168 (0.022)
0.138
| <0.01 |
Steroid | AF I
N = 22 | CF I
N = 16 |
p*, ** Autism/control | AF II
N = 13 | CF II
N = 18 |
p*, ** Autism/control |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
C21 steroids
| ||||||
Pregnenolone | 1.783 (0.156)
1.561
| 1.992 (0.315)
1.642
| 2.256 (0.508)**
1.657
| 1.160 (0.137)
1.216
#
| <0.01 | |
Pregnenolone-C | 8.483 (1.606)
5.401
| 4.629 (0.988)
3.535
| 6.301 (2.062)**
3.634
| 2.529 (0.323)
2.112
#
| <0.01 | |
20α-Dihydropregnenolone | 0.614 (0.058)
0.533
| 0.447 (0.051)
0.426
| 0.679 (0.122)*
0.583
| 0.339 (0.036)
0.349
| <0.05 | |
20α-Dihydopregnenolone-C | 3.496 (0.421)
3.365
| 2.153 (0.487)
1.943
| 3.366 (1.132)
1.698
| 1.555 (0.239)
1.598
| ||
P3α5α (Allopregnanolone) | 0.056 (0.010)
0.048
| 0.028 (0.003)
0.026
| 0.057 (0.020)**
0.039
| 0.018 (0.002)
0.016
| <0.01 | |
P3α5α-C (Allopregnanolone-C) | 0.685 (0.150)
0.391
| 0.889 (0.538)
0.284
| 0.286 (0.072)
0.199
| 0.378 (0.069)
0.304
| ||
P3β5α-C (Isopregnanolone-C) | 3,077 (0.557)
2.045
| 2.525 (0.901)
1.364
| 1.402 (0.127)
1.592
| 3.858 (1.764)*
2.407
| ||
P3β5β-C (Epipregnanolone-C) | 0.848 (0.167)
0.636
| 1.185 (0.456)
0.509
| 0.474 (0.087)
0.413
| 1.246 (0.312)
0.762
| ||
Cortisol | 6.377 (3.508)
2.898
| 2.736 (0.498)
2.337
| 4.345 (1.042)
3.740
| 3.963 (0.508)
3.128
| ||
C19 steroids
| ||||||
DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) | 1.046 (0.112)
0.896
| 0.916 (0.135)
0.803
| 4.993 (3.267)*
1.330
#
| 0.812 (0.104)
0.898
| <0.05 | |
DHEA-C (Dehydroepiandrosterone-C) | 24.404 (9.368)*
9.234
| 4.363 (0.987)
3.417
| <0.05 | 575.70 (555.1)
14.562
| 25.301 (9.567)
7.481
#
| |
DHEA-7o | 1.453 (0.195)
1.257
| 1.600 (0.254)
1.706
| 2.098 (0.650)
1.555
| 1.687 (0.244)
1.853
| ||
Androstenediol | 1.085 (0.091)
1.065
| 0.745 (0.083)
0.612
| 1.356 (0.379)**
1.042
| 0.608 (0.059)
0.483
| <0.01 | |
Androstendione | 0.259 (0.044)
0.205
| 0.373 (0.126)
0.166
| 0.253 (0.087)
0.155
| 0.166 (0.039)
0.116
| ||
A3α5α (Androsterone) | 0.074 0.014)
0.049
| 0.063 (0.014)
0.043
| 0.090 (0.029)
0.046
| 0.076 (0.026)
0.028
| ||
A3α5α-C (Androsterone-C) | 5.041 (1.038)**
3.510
| 2.876 (0.983)
1.405
| 0.01 | 5.703 (1.294)**
4.529
| 1.156 (0.238)
0.926
| <0.01 |
A3α5β (Etiocholanolone) | 0.049 (0.012)
0.027
| 0.074 (0.019)
0.039
| 0.033 (0.007)
0.021
| 0.025 (0.006)
0.016
| ||
A3α5β-C (Etiocholanolone-C) | 1.098 (0.287)
0.526
| 1.217 (0.792)
0.142
| 0.892 (0.382)
0.354
| 0.407 (0.135)
0.196
| ||
A3β5α (Epiandrosterone) | 0.068 (0.008)
0.059
| 0.143 (0.049)
0.086
| 0.196 (0.106)
0.092
| 0.190 (0.123)
0.066
| ||
A3β5α-C (Epiandrosterone-C) | 2.461 (0.604)
1.408
| 1.762 (1.146)
0.441
| 21.91 (18.32)*
4.107
#
| 1.992 (0.456)
1.109
| <0.05 | |
AT-7α (5-Androstene-3b,7α,17b-triol) | 0.397 (0.045)
0.348
| 0.289 (0.049)
0.240
| 0.384 (0.077)
0.295
| 0.233 (0.027)
0.226
| ||
AT-7 β (5-Androstene-3 β,7 β,17β-triol | 0.271 (0.025)
0.227
| 0.207 (0.032)
0.187
| 0.291 (0.081)
0.198
| 0.185 (0.020)
0.183
|