What Researchers Did
Researchers investigated mitochondrial respiratory rates in platelets and NADPH oxidase activity in neutrophils of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and assessed the impact of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT).
What They Found
They found that autistic children (N=10) exhibited significantly impaired mitochondrial respiration in platelets and reduced immune response in neutrophils compared to controls (N=10). Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) in another group of autistic children (N=10) did not improve mitochondrial dysfunctions or ASD-related behavioral deficits, despite a modest improvement in one immune response measure.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection.
Study Limitations
A significant limitation of this study is the very small sample size of only 10 participants per group, which limits the generalizability of the findings.