Elevated levels of cortisol, brain-derived neurotropic factor and tissue plasminogen activator in male children with autism spectrum disorder.
Autistic boys run higher blood cortisol, BDNF, and tPA—useful biomarkers for stress and possible subtyping.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Doctors drew blood from boys with autism and boys without it.
They tested three chemicals: cortisol (stress hormone), BDNF (brain growth factor), and tPA (clot-buster).
The goal was to see if these boys had different blood levels of these chemicals.
What they found
Autistic boys had much higher cortisol, BDNF, and tPA in their blood.
The levels did not link to age or how severe the autism was.
How this fits with other research
Şimşek et al. (2016) saw the same tPA jump in autistic boys, so the finding repeats.
Curin et al. (2003) found lower cortisol in autistic people, the opposite of here.
Edmiston et al. (2017) showed blunted cortisol during a stress test in autistic teens.
The clash fades when you note age and task: baseline child cortisol is high, but teen stress reactivity is low.
Bravo Balsa et al. (2024) add that older autistic youth still pump out more total daily cortisol, backing the high-stress picture.
Why it matters
You now have three easy blood markers to add to early screening panels.
High cortisol plus high BDNF and tPA may flag a stress-heavy autism subtype.
Track these levels before and after stress-reduction plans to see if they drop.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Several studies demonstrated biological effects of cortisol, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) on human metabolism and central nervous system. Our study investigated the serum levels of tPA along with BDNF and cortisol in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Thirty three male children with ASD ranging in age from 2 to 15 years were selected for the study group and 27 age-matched healthy male children were selected for the control group. The ASD severity was determined by the score on the Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC). The mean cortisol levels for the study group and the control group were 79.1 ± 30.2 ng/ml and 60.0 ± 25.1 ng/ml, respectively. The mean BDNF levels for the study group and the control group were 5.9 ± 2.8 ng/ml and 3.7 ± 1.8 ng/ml, respectively. The mean tPA levels for the study group and the control group were 32.9 ± 18.5 ng/ml and 25.5 ± 15.1 ng/ml, respectively. Cortisol, BDNF and tPA levels were significantly higher in the study group compared to the control group (p < 0.001). There was no statistically significant effect in terms of age, ABC total and subscale scores on serum cortisol, BDNF and tPA levels in the study group (p > 0.05). It may be suggested that elevations may indicate a role in the pathogenesis of ASD or it may be the case that ASD may alter the levels or pathways of these metabolic factors. LAY SUMMARY: The underlying mechanism or a specific metabolic target relevant to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has not yet been identified. Cortisol, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) have biological effects on neuroplasticity but little is known about the role of cortisol and tPA-BDNF pathway in ASD. In the present study focused on male children with ASD, we have found higher blood levels of cortisol, BDNF and tPA than their healthy peers. This is the first clinical study to evaluate the serum tPA levels along with BDNF and cortisol in ASD. The results suggest that several neurotrophic and other related markers should be born in mind while examining children with ASD.
Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2021 · doi:10.1002/aur.2582