The DOI matches its Crossref record; 68 of the 68 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Autism spectrum disorder and low vitamin D at birth: a sibling control study
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: Insufficient vitamin D activity has attracted increasing interest as a possible underlying risk factor in disorders of the central nervous system, including autism. METHODS: In this study, 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) was analysed in 58 Sweden-born sibling pairs, in which one child had autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the other did not. The study group consisted of two representative samples; 47 Gothenburg sibling pairs with mixed ethnicities and 11 Stockholm sibling pairs with Somali background. 25(OH)D levels were analysed in the stored dried blood spots taken in the neonatal period for metabolic screening. RESULTS: The collapsed group of children with ASD had significantly lower vitamin D levels (M = 24.0 nM, SD = 19.6) as compared with their siblings (M = 31.9 nM, SD = 27.7), according to a paired samples t-test (P = 0.013). The difference was - most likely - not only accounted for by a difference in season of birth between ASD and non-ASD siblings since the mean 25(OH)D levels differed with similar effect size between the sibling pairs born during winter and summer, respectively. All children with African/Middle East background, both the children with ASD and their non-ASD siblings, had vitamin D deficiency. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that low prenatal vitamin D may act as a risk factor for ASD, however, there is a need for replication with larger samples. Future research should study whether or not adequate supplementation of vitamin D to pregnant women might lower the risk for ASD in the offspring.
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“Furthermore, inclusion of older siblings may confound the findings by younger parental age, and inclusion of apparently healthy younger siblings, on the other hand, may run the risk of including siblings with ASD who may develop ASD later in life in the control group [78,108].”
From Vitamin D and Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Literature Review (2016) · cites this paper as [78]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“It should be also noted that season of birth was not significantly different between cases and controls in the latter ethnic groups, but it was significantly different across groups of Scandinavian and other European origins (10% vs. 35% of cases and controls in summer, respectively).”
From Vitamin D and Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Literature Review (2016) · cites this paper as [78]
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“Of 14 studies, nine reported significant differences in 25(OH)D concentrations between cases and controls [78,81,108,109,110,111,112,117,118], one borderline difference [114], and four found no significant differences among study groups [79,113,115,116].”
From Vitamin D and Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Literature Review (2016) · cites this paper as [78]
In the citing paper
“For instance, Fennell et al. (2015) did not find any seasonal deviations for ASD populations from the typically developing controls of Middle Eastern/African origin, though the season of birth difference was significant in cases and controls of Swedish origin (38% in spring vs. 18% in summer; p < 0.05) [78].”
From Vitamin D and Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Literature Review (2016) · cites this paper as [78]
In the citing paper
“On the other hand, the authors did not find any differences between cases and controls of Middle Eastern/African origin.”
From Vitamin D and Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Literature Review (2016) · cites this paper as [78]
In the citing paper
“Season of birth which corresponded to the season of blood sampling in this study was not controlled for in statistical analysis.”
From Vitamin D and Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Literature Review (2016) · cites this paper as [78]
In the citing paper
“Using siblings or family members as controls to minimize confounding by socio-demographic factors, Fernell et al. (2015) reported significantly lower mean 25(OH)D concentration at birth in autistic children of Scandinavian and other European origins than their non-ASD sibling controls [78].”
From Vitamin D and Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Literature Review (2016) · cites this paper as [78]
In the citing paper
“The lack of association in Middle Eastern and African group may in part, be attributed to the small sample size and very low mean 25(OH)D concentrations in these two ethnic groups, 11.5 ± 7.1 and 7.0 ± 5.0 nmol/L, respectively.”
From Vitamin D and Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Literature Review (2016) · cites this paper as [78]
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Citations
Cites
Common genetic determinants of vitamin D insufficiency: a genome-wide association study
Wang, T. J., Zhang, F., Richards, J. B., Kestenbaum, B. R., van Meurs, J. B. J., Berry, D. J., Kiel, D. P., Streeten, E. A., Ohlsson, C., Koller, D. L., et al. (2010) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(10)60588-0 · Cited by 1,562
Distribution of the vitamin D receptor and 1α-hydroxylase in human brain
Eyles, D. W., Smith, S., Kinobe, R., Hewison, M., & McGrath, J. J. (2005) · Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy · doi:10.1016/j.jchemneu.2004.08.006 · Cited by 1,444
Self-citationAutism risk factors: genes, environment, and gene-environment interactions
Chaste, P., & Leboyer, M. (2012) · Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience · doi:10.31887/dcns.2012.14.3/pchaste · Cited by 807
Hyppönen, E., & Power, C. (2007) · The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition · doi:10.1093/ajcn/85.3.860 · Cited by 756
Gillberg, C. (2010) · Research in Developmental Disabilities · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2010.06.002 · Cited by 742 · cited 1×
“ASD frequently coexists with other cognitive/behavioural/neurological disorders, including intellectual disability, language disorder, attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and epilepsy, that is, disorders comprised under the ESSENCE concept (Early Symptomatic Syndromes Eliciting Neurodevelopmental Clinical…”
BackgroundSelf-citationEyles, D. W., Burne, T. H. J., & McGrath, J. J. (2012) · Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2012.07.001 · Cited by 726
Self-citationVitamin d3 and brain development
Eyles, D. W., Brown, J., Mackay‐Sim, A., McGrath, J. J., & Feron, F. P. (2003) · Neuroscience · doi:10.1016/s0306-4522(03)00040-x · Cited by 552
Self-citationMaternal infection and immune involvement in autism
Patterson, P. H. (2011) · Trends in Molecular Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.molmed.2011.03.001 · Cited by 520
AUTISM IN THALIDOMIDE EMBRYOPATHY: A POPULATION STUDY
Strömland, K., Nordin, V., Miller, M. T., Åkerström, B., & Gillberg, C. (1994) · Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology · doi:10.1111/j.1469-8749.1994.tb11856.x · Cited by 453
Self-citationVitamin D hormone regulates serotonin synthesis. Part 1: Relevance for autism
Patrick, R. P., & Ames, B. N. (2014) · The FASEB Journal · doi:10.1096/fj.13-246546 · Cited by 414
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Gestational vitamin D deficiency and autism-related traits: the Generation R Study
Vinkhuyzen, A. A. E., Eyles, D. W., Burne, T. H. J., Blanken, L. M. E., Kruithof, C. J., Verhulst, F. C., Jaddoe, V. W. V., Tiemeier, H. W., & McGrath, J. J. (2016) · Molecular Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/mp.2016.213 · Cited by 196
Self-citationInsufficient Sun Exposure Has Become a Real Public Health Problem
Alfredsson, L. S., Armstrong, B. K., Butterfield, D. A., Chowdhury, R., de Gruijl, F. R., Feelisch, M., Garland, C. F., Hart, P. H., Hoel, D. G., Jacobsen, R., et al. (2020) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph17145014 · Cited by 190
Vitamin D: Before, during and after Pregnancy: Effect on Neonates and Children
Mansur, J. L., Oliveri, B., Giacoia, E., Fusaro, D., & Costanzo, P. R. (2022) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu14091900 · Cited by 185
Carlsson, T., Molander, F., Taylor, M. J., Jonsson, U., & Bölte, S. (2020) · Development and Psychopathology · doi:10.1017/s0954579420000620 · Cited by 190
Vitamin D and autism, what’s new?
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Metadata
- Authors
- Fernell, E., Bejerot, S., Westerlund, J., Miniscalco, C., Simila, H., Eyles, D., Gillberg, C., & Humble, M. B.
- Affiliations
- Skaraborg Hospital (SE)
- Örebro University (SE)
- Stockholm University (SE)
- University of Gothenburg (SE)
- The University of Queensland (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Fernell, Elisabeth
- ORCID
- Venue
- Molecular Autism
- Published
- 2015
- Volume
- 6
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 3
- ISSN
- 2040-2392 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC4396835
- OpenAlex
- W2135493800
- Cited by
- 160
- References
- 68
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 23 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 18 · 2017: 29 · 2016: 17 · 2015: 4
- FWCI
- 18.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- Molecular Autism (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- ENLIGHTEN (Jurnal Bimbingan dan Konseling Islam) (acceptedVersion)
- Örebro University (Örebro University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- Vetenskapsrådet (523-2011-3646)
- LifeWatch – Niclas Öberg Foundation
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Vitamin D Research Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Sexual Differentiation and Disorders
- Keywords
- autism spectrum disorder, vitamin D deficiency, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, prenatal vitamin D, neonatal dried blood spots, sibling pairs, season of birth, Somali children, vitamin D supplementation in pregnancy, risk factors
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