Physical activity and salivary serotonin levels among children with or without autism spectrum disorders: A comparative cross-sectional study / Sima DASTAMOOZ in Research in Autism, 133 (May 2026)  

Public ISBD [article]  inResearch in Autism > 133 (May 2026) . - p.202879 Titre : Physical activity and salivary serotonin levels among children with or without autism spectrum disorders: A comparative cross-sectional study Type de document : texte imprimé Auteurs : Sima DASTAMOOZ, Auteur ; Shahzad Tahmasebi BOROUJENI, Auteur ; Liye ZOU, Auteur ; Mohammad H. D. FARAHANI, Auteur ; Mina HASANI, Auteur ; Sanaz DASTAMOUZ, Auteur ; Nahid SARAHIAN, Auteur ; Seyed Ahmad HOSSEINI, Auteur ; Masoume KORDNAYEJ, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.202879 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : Autism spectrum disorders  Physical activity  Saliva  Serotonin  Children  Adolescents  Neurodivergent Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Introduction Serotonergic dysregulation is implicated in autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and saliva offers a feasible, noninvasive matrix for serotonin assessment. Physical activity (PA) can influence peripheral serotonin. However, the relationship between PA and salivary serotonin in children and adolescents with ASD remains unclear. Accordingly, we compared salivary serotonin, PA, and sedentary behavior (SB) in children and adolescents with ASD versus typically developing (TD) peers, assessed PA and serotonin associations within each group, and examined whether findings varied across DSM-5 autism severity levels (1−3). Methods In a multi-center cross-sectional study in Iran, salivary serotonin (ELISA) and parent-proxy PA (International Physical Activity Questionnaire) were assessed in children and adolescents with ASD (n = 62; DSM-5 severity levels 1–3) and TD peers (n = 16), aged 5–13 years. Group differences were evaluated using Mann–Whitney U tests, and associations between PA, SB, and serotonin were examined using robust regression. Results Children and adolescents with ASD had higher salivary serotonin than TD (160 ± 94.3 vs 81.8 ± 40.6 pg. ml−1; p = 0.001). Compared with TD, children and adolescents with ASD reported lower walking, moderate activity, and lower sitting time. PA indices were not correlated with salivary serotonin in either group, or outcomes did not differ across ASD severity levels. Discussion Findings support altered peripheral serotonergic functioning in ASD and suggest that differences in reported PA do not explain salivary serotonin variation. Longitudinal and device-based activity assessments are warranted. En ligne : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reia.2026.202879 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=585 [article] Physical activity and salivary serotonin levels among children with or without autism spectrum disorders: A comparative cross-sectional study [texte imprimé] / Sima DASTAMOOZ, Auteur ; Shahzad Tahmasebi BOROUJENI, Auteur ; Liye ZOU, Auteur ; Mohammad H. D. FARAHANI, Auteur ; Mina HASANI, Auteur ; Sanaz DASTAMOUZ, Auteur ; Nahid SARAHIAN, Auteur ; Seyed Ahmad HOSSEINI, Auteur ; Masoume KORDNAYEJ, Auteur . - p.202879. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Research in Autism > 133 (May 2026) . - p.202879 Mots-clés : Autism spectrum disorders  Physical activity  Saliva  Serotonin  Children  Adolescents  Neurodivergent Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Introduction Serotonergic dysregulation is implicated in autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and saliva offers a feasible, noninvasive matrix for serotonin assessment. Physical activity (PA) can influence peripheral serotonin. However, the relationship between PA and salivary serotonin in children and adolescents with ASD remains unclear. Accordingly, we compared salivary serotonin, PA, and sedentary behavior (SB) in children and adolescents with ASD versus typically developing (TD) peers, assessed PA and serotonin associations within each group, and examined whether findings varied across DSM-5 autism severity levels (1−3). Methods In a multi-center cross-sectional study in Iran, salivary serotonin (ELISA) and parent-proxy PA (International Physical Activity Questionnaire) were assessed in children and adolescents with ASD (n = 62; DSM-5 severity levels 1–3) and TD peers (n = 16), aged 5–13 years. Group differences were evaluated using Mann–Whitney U tests, and associations between PA, SB, and serotonin were examined using robust regression. Results Children and adolescents with ASD had higher salivary serotonin than TD (160 ± 94.3 vs 81.8 ± 40.6 pg. ml−1; p = 0.001). Compared with TD, children and adolescents with ASD reported lower walking, moderate activity, and lower sitting time. PA indices were not correlated with salivary serotonin in either group, or outcomes did not differ across ASD severity levels. Discussion Findings support altered peripheral serotonergic functioning in ASD and suggest that differences in reported PA do not explain salivary serotonin variation. Longitudinal and device-based activity assessments are warranted. En ligne : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reia.2026.202879 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=585

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