Abstract

 Biochemical studies in autistic patients have mainly focused on monoamines (serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine) and opioids (including, above all, ß-endorphins which belong to the group of endomorphins characterized by their central analgesic property). The results on which there is consensus relate to hyperserotoninemia and the existence of an abnormally increased stress response in infantile autism. The liver is an extraordinarily complex organ with a very wide range of tasks within our body: synthesis and destruction of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins, excretion of waste products through bile, modulation of the immune response. "Liver function tests" consist of the measurement in blood of the concentration of bilirubin and the activity of certain enzymes present in the liver (called GOT, GPT, FA and GGT). The elevation of its normal values ​​indicates that there is a liver injury (although they can also be altered in non-hepatic processes). The results indicated that no sample had an abnormally increased level of 7-dehydrocholesterol reductase (7DHC), consistent with a diagnosis of SLOS. However, 19 of the 100 samples had a total cholesterol level of less than 100 mg/dL. The researchers demonstrated that SLOS is an uncommon cause of ASD, and additionally showed that at least 20% of ASD children have significant hypocholesterolemia.