BRIEF REPORT - CIRCADIAN MELATONIN, THYROID-STIMULATING HORMONE, PROLACTIN, AND CORTISOL-LEVELS IN SERUM OF YOUNG-ADULTS WITH AUTISM

An abnormal circadian pattern of melatonin was found in a group of you ng adults with an extreme autism syndrome. Although not out of phase, the serum melatonin levels differed from normal in amplitude and mesor . Marginal changes in diurnal rhythms of serum TSH and possibly prolac tin were also recorded. Subjects with seizures tended to have an abnor mal pattern of melatonin correlated with EEG changes. In others, a par allel was evidenced between thyroid function and impairment in verbal communication. There appears to be a tendency for various types of neu roendocrinological abnormalities in autistics, and melatonin, as well as possibly TSH and perhaps prolactin, could serve as biochemical vari ables of the biological parameters of the disease.