TY - JOUR AU - Karhson, Debra S. AU - Krasinska, Karolina M. AU - Dallaire, Jamie Ahloy AU - Libove, Robin A. AU - Phillips, Jennifer M. AU - Chien, Allis S. AU - Garner, Joseph P. AU - Hardan, Antonio Y. AU - Parker, Karen J. PY - 2018 DA - 2018/03/12 TI - Plasma anandamide concentrations are lower in children with autism spectrum disorder JO - Molecular Autism SP - 18 VL - 9 IS - 1 AB - Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by restricted, stereotyped behaviors and impairments in social communication. Although the underlying biological mechanisms of ASD remain poorly understood, recent preclinical research has implicated the endogenous cannabinoid (or endocannabinoid), anandamide, as a significant neuromodulator in rodent models of ASD. Despite this promising preclinical evidence, no clinical studies to date have tested whether endocannabinoids are dysregulated in individuals with ASD. Here, we addressed this critical gap in knowledge by optimizing liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry methodology to quantitatively analyze anandamide concentrations in banked blood samples collected from a cohort of children with and without ASD (Nā€‰=ā€‰112). SN - 2040-2392 UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s13229-018-0203-y DO - 10.1186/s13229-018-0203-y ID - Karhson2018 ER -