Comparison of mi-RNA levels of 18-60-month-old children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder with those of their siblings and a controls |
Hülya Karagöz 1,*, Ömer Faruk Akça 2, Mahmut Selman Yıldırım 3, Ayşe Gül Zamani 4, Mehmet Burhan Oflaz 5 |
1Department of Child And Adolescent Psychiatry, Binali Yıldırım University Mengücek Gazi Training and Research Hospital, Erzincan, Turkey, 2Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Necmettin Erbakan University, Meram Faculty of Medicine, Konya, Turkey, 3Department of Genetic, Necmettin Erbakan University, Meram Faculty of Medicine, Konya, Turkey, 4Department of Genetic, Necmettin Erbakan University, Meram Faculty of Medicine, Konya, Turkey, 5Department of Pediatrics, Necmettin Erbakan University, Meram Faculty of Medicine, Konya, Turkey |
Abstract
Objective: The present study aims to compare the levels of 7 mi-RNAs (mi-RNA-125b, mi-RNA-23a-3p, mi-RNA-146a-5p, mi-RNA-106a, mi-RNA-151a-3p, mi-RNA-28, mi-RNA-125a) in the blood of the preschool children with autism and those of their siblings with healthy controls, and to investigate the association between these mi-RNAs and the severity of autism, behavioral problems, and siblings’ autistic traits.
Methods: A total of 35 children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at the ages of 18-60 months (patient group), 35 non-affected siblings of the ASD group (sibling group), and 30 control subjects (control group) were involved in the study. The severity of ASD was measured using the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) and the Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC). The behavioral problems of the children with ASD were assessed with the Aberrant Behavior Checklist, and the autistic traits of the siblings were assessed using the Autism Spectrum Screening Scale for Children.
Results: Mi-RNA-106a-5p, mi-RNA-151a-3p, and mi-RNA-28-3p were found to be expressed significantly lower in the patient group compared to the control group. There was a significant positive correlation between mi-RNA-23a and the sensory subscale of the Autism Behavior Checklist. Mi-RNA-151a was significantly associated with sound sensitivity and mi-RNA-28 with echolalia. After controlling for age and sex, the differences between groups were disappeared.
Discussion: The present study examined mi-RNAs that have been reported as biomarkers in the literature. Although several symptom clusters are found to be related to certain mi-RNA expression levels, they were not found to be significant in discriminating the patient and healthy groups.
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Accepted Manuscript [Submitted on 2023-08-11, Accepted on 2024-02-27] |
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