Autism spectrum disorder: Trace element imbalances and the pathogenesis and severity of autistic symptoms.

Title	Autism spectrum disorder: Trace element imbalances and the pathogenesis and severity of autistic symptoms.
Authors	Jacek Baj, Wojciech Flieger, Michał Flieger, Alicja Forma, Elżbieta Sitarz, Katarzyna Skórzyńska-Dziduszko, Cezary Grochowski, Ryszard Maciejewski and Hanna Karakuła-Juchnowicz
Magazine	Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews
Date	10/01/2021
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.07.029
Introduction	Addressing neurological developmental disorders (NDD) such as schizophrenia, ADHD, and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) necessitates the establishment of effective biomarkers for both diagnosis and treatment response prediction. This remains a significant challenge in clinical practice. Research into metallomic profiles of ASD patients has shown notable variations, encompassing both essential elements such as cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, zinc, and selenium, as well as an elevated presence of toxic metals including aluminium, arsenic, mercury, lead, beryllium, nickel, and cadmium. Studies consistently indicate that children with ASD possess a reduced ability to process and eliminate these toxic metals, resulting in their accumulation within the body and a subsequent intensification of autistic symptoms. Detailed metallomic investigations offer valuable insights into the role of trace elements as environmental contributors to the development of ASD. While mineral imbalances are clearly present in ASD, further efforts are required to establish reliable diagnostic tests and standardised reference levels for trace elements, which hold promise as crucial biomarkers for improved diagnosis, prevention, and therapeutic strategies for ASD.
Quote	Jacek Baj, Wojciech Flieger and Michał Flieger et al. Autism spectrum disorder: Trace elements imbalances and the pathogenesis and severity of autistic symptoms.. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2021. Vol. 129. DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.07.029
Element	Aluminum (Al) , Arsenic (As) , Beryllium (Be) , Chromium (Cr) , Cobalt (Co) , Copper (Cu) , Manganese (Mn) , Mercury (Hg) , Molybdenum (Mo) , Nickel (Ni) , Selenium (Se) , Zinc (Zn)
Industry	Pharmaceutical Industry , Medical Devices , Research & Laboratory