Development in the metabolism of dopamine and its derivatives. Application to gross development disorders] |
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| Authors: | J Martineau B Garreau C Barthélémy J Jouve G Lelord |
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| Institution: | INSERM U316, explorations fonctionnelles psychopathologiques, Centre hospitalier régional universitaire, Tours, France. |
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| Abstract: | Dopamine (DA) and its metabolites homovanillic acid (HVA) in total, free and conjugated forms, dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) in total, free and conjugated forms, and 3 methoxytyramine (3 MT) levels were determined in the urine of autistic children from 2 years 8 months to 12 years of age and compared to those in normal children of identical age. Very significant group and age effects were found for DA, HVA and 3 MT. In the discussion, results are related to the hypothesis of a disorder in the maturation of the dopaminergic systems in infantile autism. |
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