ArticleMolecular autism2013
Decreased tryptophan metabolism in patients with autism spectrum disorders.
Article in Molecular autism, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 3 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 88 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Safety and Tolerability of CTH120, First-in-human Phase I Study Encompassing Three Parts: Single and Multiple Ascending Doses and Potential Food Interaction
Assessment of Neural Biomarkers in Adult Subjects With Fragile X Syndrome and Typically Developing Subjects
Evaluation of the Safety, Tolerability, and Effectiveness of CTH120 in Adult Males With Fragile X Syndrome
Who cites it
88 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 169 citations in OpenAlex.
- Therapeutic effects of antidepressants for global improvement and subdomain symptoms of autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of psychiatry & neuroscience : JPNPooled it
- A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Low-Dose Sertraline in Young Children With Fragile X Syndrome.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBP · 2016Trial
- Translational Study of Using FOCM/TS Metabolites for Supporting Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis.Annals of biomedical engineering · 2026Article
- Untargeted metabolomics and proteomics reveals cocoa-mediated mitigation of valproic acid-induced dysregulation in a zebrafish model of autism: pilot study.Metabolomics : Official journal of the Metabolomic Society · 2026Article
- Metabolomic signatures of SSRI exposure during neural differentiation and correlation of lysophosphatidylcholines with early symptoms of neurodevelopmental disorders.EBioMedicine · 2026Article
- The Role of Serotonin in Brain Development: From Molecular Pathways to Neurodevelopmental Risk.Cellular and molecular neurobiology · 2026Review
- Article
- Tryptophan Metabolism in Neurodevelopment and Its Implications For Neurodevelopmental Disorders.Molecular neurobiology · 2025Review
- The sertraline metabolite, desmethylsertraline, may be implicated in adverse outcomes reported after gestational sertraline use: insights from a study in zebrafish.Pharmacological reports : PR · 2025Article
- The Multifaceted Role of L-Type Amino Acid Transporter 1 at the Blood-Brain Barrier: Structural Implications and Therapeutic Potential.Molecular neurobiology · 2025Review
- Cross-generational mechanisms of maternal gut microbiota in modulating offspring autism spectrum disorder risk: from the gut-brain axis to translational challenges in precision interventions.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2025Review
- Article
- Does the kynurenine pathway play a pathogenic role in autism spectrum disorder?Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2024Article
- The metabolic role of vitamin D in children's neurodevelopment: a network study.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Metabolomic changes in children with autism.World journal of clinical pediatrics · 2024Article
- Characterization of a Clinically and Biologically Defined Subgroup of Patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Identification of a Tailored Combination Treatment.Biomedicines · 2024Article
- Plasma Amino Acid Profile in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Southern China: Analysis of 110 Cases.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2024Article
- Review
- Genetic etiology of autism spectrum disorder in the African population: a scoping review.Frontiers in genetics · 2024Article
- Impact of IDO activation and alterations in the kynurenine pathway on hyperserotonemia, NADTranslational psychiatry · 2023Article
28 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAutism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are relatively common neurodevelopmental conditions whose biological basis has been incompletely determined. Several biochemical markers have been associated with ASDs, but there is still no laboratory test for these conditions.
methodsWe analyzed the metabolic profile of lymphoblastoid cell lines from 137 patients with neurodevelopmental disorders with or without ASDs and 78 normal individuals, using Biolog Phenotype MicroArrays.
resultsMetabolic profiling of lymphoblastoid cells revealed that the 87 patients with ASD as a clinical feature, as compared to the 78 controls, exhibited on average reduced generation of NADH when tryptophan was the sole energy source. The results correlated with the behavioral traits associated with either syndromal or non-syndromal autism, independent of the genetic background of the individual. The low level of NADH generation in the presence of tryptophan was not observed in cell lines from non-ASD patients with intellectual disability, schizophrenia or conditions exhibiting several similarities with syndromal autism except for the behavioral traits. Analysis of a previous small gene expression study found abnormal levels for some genes involved in tryptophan metabolic pathways in 10 patients.
conclusionsTryptophan is a precursor of important compounds, such as serotonin, quinolinic acid, and kynurenic acid, which are involved in neurodevelopment and synaptogenesis. In addition, quinolinic acid is the structural precursor of NAD+, a critical energy carrier in mitochondria. Also, the serotonin branch of the tryptophan metabolic pathway generates NADH. Lastly, the levels of quinolinic and kynurenic acid are strongly influenced by the activity of the immune system. Therefore, decreased tryptophan metabolism may alter brain development, neuroimmune activity and mitochondrial function. Our finding of decreased tryptophan metabolism appears to provide a unifying biochemical basis for ASDs and perhaps an initial step in the development of a diagnostic assay for ASDs.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.