Metabolomics of Autism Spectrum Disorder
A special issue of Metabolites (ISSN 2218-1989). This special issue belongs to the section "Endocrinology and Clinical Metabolic Research".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 August 2022) | Viewed by 28947
Special Issue Editors
Interests: metabolomics; UHPLC-mass spectrometry; untargeted metabolomics profiling; multivariate analisys
Interests: autism; ADHD; intellectual disability; Phelan-McDermid syndrome; child psychiatry; neurogenetics; neurodevelopment; psychopharmacology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: proteomics; metabolomics; lipidomics; mass spectrometry; red blood cell membranes; food proteomics; MALDI biotype; nucleosides; antarctic cryptoendolithic communities
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a serious pathology that originates in neurodevelopment anomalies due, in most cases, to a polygenic/oligogenic vulnerability, on which environmental factors can act especially in the prenatal and early postnatal period. This pathology is characterized by social–communicative deficits and cognitive symptoms, such as stereotypes, rigid adherence to routines, fixed and bizarre interests, and sensory hypo- or hyper-sensitivity [1]. Behavioral abnormalities generally begin around 18–24 months of life. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) it is estimated that in the United States of America, autism affects 1 in 68 children and is progressively increasing. To date, diagnosis of ASD is still based only on the behavioral observation of the child, and there are no biomarkers to support the autism clinic. It is not feasible to predict whether a newborn growing up develops the disease, and it is difficult to tell if a diagnosed child at the preschool age will develop an expressive language or will remain non-verbal, and finally what their degree of response will be to rehabilitation therapies. Researchers to date have been unable to find a neurological, genetic link or symptom uniquely associated with autism. Blood tests, urinary analysis, brain screening, or other clinical investigations do not allow us to establish the presence or absence of ASD. The metabolomic approach, however, providing a tool to define perturbations in metabolic pathways could be considered a promising tool for clinical diagnosis. Metabolomics by studying and quantifying the metabolites present in biological fluids offers an instantaneous view of the system, providing useful information for interpreting the processes in the analyzed organism. Metabolites, or small molecules, can be considered the final product of gene expression and protein activity, therefore determining the biochemical phenotype of a biological organism.
Through metabolomics, indeed, it is possible to provide researchers and clinicians with the most up-to-date information on possible biomarkers that can help them to understand how to act on therapeutic strategies for patients.
This Special Issue will provide comprehensive and critical knowledge of the application of metabolomic approaches to autism disorder and will review progress in this field. Advances across the multitude of metabolomic technologies, including LC–MS, GC–MS, NMR, and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), are significantly expanding our understanding of small molecules. This Special Issue of Metabolites aims to bring together research on the importance of metabolomic application in understanding the mechanisms underlying autism spectrum disorder.
Dr. Federica Gevi
Prof. Antonio Persico
Prof. Dr. Anna Maria Timperio
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- metabolomics
- autism
- HPLC
- NMR
- GC
- FT-IR
- mass spectrometry
- urine
- plasma
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