Alayadhi_2020_Med.Princ.Pract__

OBJECTIVES: In this study, we aimed to measure the plasma concentration of NLGN4 in children with autism compared to matched healthy controls, and to examine a possible correlation between the plasma NLGN4 level and the degree of severity of autism, and social impairment in the autistic patients. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: In this study, 88 autistic patients aged 3-12 years and 33 age and sex-matched controls aged 3-9 years were recruited. Plasma NLGN4 concentration was determined using a commercial enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA). The Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) and the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) were used to assess the cognitive dysfunction and social impairment in autistic patients. RESULTS: The NLGN4 plasma concentration was significantly higher (P=0.001) in autistic children (12 +/-5.35 ng/ml) in comparison with healthy controls (6.82 +/-5.52 ng/ml). In spite of the alteration in the level of NLGN4 among the subgroups of autistic children, no correlation between NLGN4 plasma level and cognitive problem, or social impairment was observed (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Increased plasma concentration of NLGN4 may play a role in the pathogenesis of autism, and it could be a valuable biomarker for autism. Further studies with larger sample size are warranted to validate this finding, and also to explore the potential links between NLGN4 and features of autism.