Plasma Levels of Alpha and Gamma Synucleins in Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Indicator of Severity

Abstract

<b><i>Objectives:</i></b> The aim of this study was to correlate plasma levels of the synaptic proteins α-synuclein and γ-synuclein in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) children in order to elucidate their possible contribution to the pathogenesis of ASD and to study their association with the severity of the disorder. <b><i>Subjects and Methods:</i></b> Plasma levels of α-synuclein and γ-synuclein were measured in 38 male children diagnosed with ASD and 40 healthy age-matched male children by ELISA. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Our results showed that plasma levels of α-synuclein (18.02 ± 5.3 pg/mL) were significantly higher in ASD children than in control children (14.39 ± 2 pg/mL), and plasma levels of γ-synuclein were decreased in the ASD group (23.74 ± 7.7 pg/mL) compared to the control group (32.40 ± 6.8 pg/mL) (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.0001). Our data also indicate that plasma levels of both α-synuclein and γ-synuclein are significantly associated with the severity of ASD. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> Our study showed that alteration in α-synuclein and γ-synuclein might be associated with ASD pathogenesis and could be an indicator of the severity of the disorder.