The relationship between balance and urinary cortisol and neopterin in autistic children

Siobhan de Lange; Dee Muller; Chloe Dafkin

doi:10.1016/j.cpnec.2023.100216

The relationship between balance and urinary cortisol and neopterin in autistic children

Compr Psychoneuroendocrinol. 2023 Oct 30:16:100216. doi: 10.1016/j.cpnec.2023.100216. eCollection 2023 Nov.

Authors

Siobhan de Lange¹, Dee Muller², Chloe Dafkin¹

Affiliations

¹ Movement Physiology Research Laboratory, School of Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
² Stress Laboratory, School of Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by stereotyped behavior, restricted interests and social/communicative deficits. The physiological etiology of ASD is not currently understood, however recent research has implicated dysregulation of the immune system as a central feature. The interplay between the stress systems, the immune system and the brain has been well-documented and implicated in other psychiatric and neurological disorders. This interplay suggests a role for the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in the etiology of ASD. We assessed levels of urinary cortisol and neopterin as markers of immune function and HPA activation in a cohort of 50 children from the central Johannesburg region. Additionally, we used the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist to assess autistic symptomatology and the Bruininks-Oseretsky Motor Proficiency Test (Second Edition) (BOT-2) to assess motor skills. No relationships were found between cortisol and autistic symptomatology. No relationships were found between neopterin and any of the other measures. However, a relationship was observed between urinary cortisol and performance on balance-related tasks from the BOT-2 (P < 0.05). Our findings support a theory of neurological interconnectedness between postural modulation and activation of the stress system, which has not previously been documented in children with ASD.

Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder; Balance; Cortisol; Motor skills; Neopterin; Stress system.