Sterol and Lipid Analysis Identifies Hypolipidemia and Apolipoprotein Disorders in Autism Associated with Adaptive Dysfunction

Tierney, E., Remaley, AT, Thurm, A., et al. Sterol and lipid analysis identifies hypolipidemia and apolipoprotein disorders in autism associated with adaptive dysfunction. TRANSL Spirit 11, 471 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-021-01580-8

Commentary

Reviewing sterol and lipid abnormalities in individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may allow for a more individualized treatment approach.

To test this hypothesis, we examined reduced cholesterol synthesis, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1) and apolipoprotein B (ApoB) in families with two or more children with ASD participating in the Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (AGRE) in blood.

19.9% of the subjects showed apolipoprotein patterns similar to hypolipidemic clinical syndrome, and 30% were shown to have either ApoA1 or ApoB or both less than 5%. Subjects with levels below the 5th percentile for HDL, ApoA1 or ApoA1 + ApoB were also shown to have lower adaptive function than other individuals with ASD.