Na+ , K+ -ATPase activity in children with autism spectrum disorder: Searching for the reason(s) of its decrease in blood cells.
Alessandra Bolotta, Paola Visconti, Giorgio Fedrizzi and 7 others
PMID 30120881WHAT IT FOUND
Children with autism had lower sodium-potassium pump activity in white blood cells than typically developing children.
The study did not find a clear reason from oxidative markers, metals, a natural pump inhibitor, or membrane lipids.
Key findings
01Na+,K+-ATPase activity in white blood cells was lower in children with autism than in typically developing children.
02Some NKA gene expression differences were seen in white blood cells, but red blood cell protein measurements did not clearly support them, and several differences lost significance after multiple testing.
03The lower activity was not associated with differences in white blood cell membrane fluidity, red blood cell oxidative protein modification, inhibitory metals, endogenous ouabain, phosphatidylserine, or phosphatidylcholine.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The study included 22 children with autism and 21 typically developing children, and some analyses used smaller subsets. It measured blood cells, not brain cells, so it does not show what was happening in the brain. Age was not matched between groups, although results were checked and not correlated with age. Several differences were not significant after correction for multiple testing, including NRF2, α1 protein, and cholesterol. NKA protein measurements in red blood cells were difficult, with faint bands and uncertain antibody specificity. Peripheral autism biomarkers have not been validated, and this study does not show that the blood finding is clinically useful. The study did not test treatment, function, or clinical outcomes that therapists manage.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the lower blood-cell pump activity as evidence that a treatment can raise it or improve autism symptoms. The study compared blood samples, not brain activity or therapy outcomes, and it did not identify a clear cause of the decrease.