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Genetics of Childhood Disorders: XLV. Autism, Part 4: Serotonin in Autism

2002; Elsevier BV; Volume: 41; Issue: 12 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1097/00004583-200212000-00025

1527-5418

George M. Anderson,

Autism Spectrum Disorder Research

Early experiments on the isolation and identification of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) were carried out from the late 1930s through the early 1950s. These studies demonstrated the presence of 5-HT in blood and in enterochromaffin cells of the gut, and they established the indole structure of the molecule. In 1953, it was shown that the mammalian brain contained appreciable (μg/g) quantities of 5-HT. A consideration of 5-HT's actions as a vasoconstrictor and cardiostimulant, the parallels between 5-HT and the then-nascent neurotransmitters norepinephrine and acetylcholine, and commonalities with the molecular structure of lysergic acid led rapidly to suggestions that 5-HT might play a role in mental disorders. In 1961, Shain and Freedman reported finding elevated levels of platelet 5-HT in individuals with autism. Serious consideration of the role of 5-HT in autism dates from this time.