RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Low parental melatonin levels increases autism spectrum disorder risk in children
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 046722
DO 10.1101/046722
A1 Wiebe Braam
A1 Friederike Ehrhart
A1 Chris T. Evelo
A1 Anneke P.H.M. Maas
A1 Marcel G. Smits
A1 Leopold Curfs
YR 2016
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2016/07/08/046722.abstract
AB Low melatonin levels are a frequent finding in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) patients. Melatonin is important for normal neurodevelopment and embryonic growth and highly effective in protecting DNA from oxidative damage. Melatonin deficiency, possibly due to low CYP1A2 activity, could be an etiologic factor. As the fetus does not produce melatonin, low maternal melatonin levels should be involved. We measured 6-sulfatoxymelatonin in urine of 60 mothers of a child with ASD that attended our sleep clinic for people with an intellectual disability (ID), and asked for coffee consumption habits, as these are known to be related to CYP1A2 activity. 6-Sulfatoxymelatonin levels were significantly lower in mothers than in controls (p = 0.005), as well as evening coffee consumption (p = 0.034).ASDAutism spectrum disorderIDintellectual disability6-SM6–sulfatoxymelatonin