Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33161257›Full record

ArticlePsychoneuroendocrinology2021

Association of serum allopregnanolone with restricted and repetitive behaviors in adult males with autism.

Leila Chew, Kevin L Sun, Wenchao Sun, Zhe Wang, Jayakumar Rajadas, Ryan E Flores, Emily Arnold, Booil Jo, Lawrence K Fung

Open access · greenAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
17citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
0.8field-weighted citation impact, top 29% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

17 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 17 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Leila ChewDepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, California, USA; David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, California, USA.
Kevin L SunDepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, California, USA.
Wenchao SunBiomaterial and Advanced Drug Delivery Lab, Stanford University, California, USA.
Zhe WangBiomaterial and Advanced Drug Delivery Lab, Stanford University, California, USA.
Jayakumar RajadasBiomaterial and Advanced Drug Delivery Lab, Stanford University, California, USA.
Ryan E FloresDepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, California, USA; Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Emily ArnoldDepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, California, USA.
Booil JoDepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, California, USA.
Lawrence K FungDepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, California, USA. Electronic address: lkfung@stanford.edu.
Stanford University · USUniversity of California, Los Angeles · USUniversity of Southern California · US

Funding

GABAergic Neurophysiology in Autism Spectrum DisorderK08MH111750 · NIMH · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · PI FUNG, LAWRENCE · 2016 to 2019
$780k
NIMH NIH HHS K08 MH111750
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been associated with imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory (E/I) neurotransmission systems, as well as with neuroinflammation. Sitting at the crossroads between E/I imbalance and neuroinflammation is a class of endogenous hormones known as neurosteroids. Current literature points to dysregulated steroid metabolism and atypical neurosteroid levels in ASD as early as in utero. However, due to the complexity of neurosteroid metabolomics, including possible sex differences, the impact of neurosteroids on ASD symptomatology remains unclear. In this study, we assessed neurosteroid levels and ASD symptom severity of 21 males with ASD and 20 full-scale-IQ-matched typically developing (TD) males, all aged 18-39. Using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, concentrations of allopregnanolone, cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone, progesterone, and testosterone were measured in saliva and serum. With the exception of cortisol's, all neurosteroids' concentrations were found to have ASD vs. TD group differences in distribution, where one group was normally distributed and the other non-normally distributed. Serum allopregnanolone levels in males with ASD were found to negatively correlate with clinician-rated measures of restricted and repetitive behavior measures (ADOS-2 RRB and ADI-R RRSB domain scores). Additionally, lower serum allopregnanolone levels were found to predict more negative camouflaging scores, which represent greater differences in self- and clinician-rated symptom severity, of both ASD symptomatology overall and repetitive behaviors in particular. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that in adult males with ASD, decreased serum allopregnanolone levels are associated with more severe restricted and repetitive behaviors and with less insight into the severity of these behaviors.

Indexed as

Autism Spectrum DisorderPregnanoloneAdultHumansMalePregnanoloneAllopregnanoloneAutism spectrum disorderCamouflagingLiquid chromatography-mass spectrometryNeurosteroidsRepetitive behaviors

Identifiers

PMID33161257
PMCPMC8428554
OpenAlexW3097379961

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.