Administration of secretin for autism alters dopamine metabolism in the central nervous system

We evaluated the clinical effects of intravenously administered secretin in 12 children with autism (age range: 4–6 years, median age: 9 years, boy:girl=8:4). In addition, we investigated the association between improvement in symptoms and changes in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) homovanillic acid (HVA),5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid (5-HIAA), and 6R-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-L-biopterin (BH4) levels after administration. After administration of secretin, the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) score improved in 7 of the 12 children. However, the score deteriorated in 2 of the 12 children (in the item of ‘restricted and repetitive, stereotyped interests and behaviors’). The HVA and BH4 levels in CSF were increased in all children with improvement in the ADI-R score. In contrast, no patient without the elevation of the BH4 level showed improvement in the score. These findings suggest that secretin activated metabolic turnover of dopamine in the central nervous system via BH4, improving symptoms.