{
  "abstract": "Introduction: Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), including autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), have high rates of comorbid anxiety disorders. Emerging evidence suggests neuroimmune signalling may partially contribute to behavioral symptoms in NDDs.\n\nMethods: This study examined the association between neuroinflammation and anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents with NDDs. The sample comprised 134 participants (33 typically developing [TD]), 31 ADHD, 70 ASD recruited through the Province of Ontario Neurodevelopmental Disorders (POND) Network. Plasma markers of neuroinflammation were quantified using multiplex immunoassays.\n\nResults: Anxiety scores, measured using the Child Behavior Checklist, were significantly higher in ASD and ADHD compared to TD participants. Six neuroinflammatory markers differed between diagnoses, with ASD showing elevated plasma levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), interleukin-18 (IL-18), and vascular endothelial growth factor, while ADHD displayed reduced fractalkine (CXCL1), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels compared to TD. Elastic net regression identified five neuroinflammatory markers, IL-18, β-nerve growth factor (β-NGF), BDNF, soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products (sRAGE), and TNF-α, as predictors of anxiety, collectively explaining 15% of the variance in anxiety levels.\n\nConclusion: These findings reveal associations between peripheral neuroinflammation markers and anxiety in NDDs that reflect complex patterns beyond pro- and anti-inflammatory classifications, warranting further investigation as potential biomarkers of behavioral symptoms.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada",
    "The Research Institute at St. Joe’s, Hamilton, ON, Canada",
    "Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada",
    "Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health, Hamilton, ON, Canada",
    "Department of Psychiatry, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada",
    "Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada",
    "Lawson Health Research Institute and Western University, London, ON, Canada",
    "Division of Clinical and Metabolic Genetics and Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada",
    "Departments of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada",
    "Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada",
    "Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada",
    "Center for Neuroscience Studies, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada",
    "Department of Psychology, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada",
    "Department of Psychiatry, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada",
    "Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada",
    "Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care, University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, TX, USA"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 11,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Shane Cleary",
      "orcid": "0009-0002-5373-5839"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Craig Matthews"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Grace Teskey"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Dawn M.E. Bowdish"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Jennifer Crosbie"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Robert Nicolson"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        7,
        8,
        9,
        10
      ],
      "name": "Rosanna Weksberg",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6501-4150"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        11,
        12
      ],
      "name": "Elizabeth Kelley",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-7742-6542"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        11,
        12,
        13
      ],
      "name": "Jessica Jones"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8,
        14
      ],
      "name": "Evdokia Anagnostou",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3455-9887"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1,
        15
      ],
      "name": "Jane A. Foster",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-8579-4705"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ffceb60bxfwba.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1159/dne/aclag006",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13713043/",
  "id": "ffceb60bxfwba",
  "issns": [
    "0378-5866",
    "1421-9859"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1159/dne/aclag006",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Research Article"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2805|Autism Spectrum Disorder Research"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7214068159",
  "pdf_url": "https://karger.com/dne/article-pdf/doi/10.1159/dne/aclag006/4586731/000554357.pdf",
  "pmcid": "PMC13713043",
  "pmid": "42771561",
  "published": "2026-09-22",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ffceb60bxfwba.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-31T12:23:30Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13713043",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1159/dne/aclag006"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:2805|Autism Spectrum Disorder Research",
      "subfield": "neuroscience"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Peripheral Biomarkers of Anxiety in Autism and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder",
  "title_text": "Peripheral Biomarkers of Anxiety in Autism and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-31T12:23:30Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ffceb60bxfwba",
  "venue": "Developmental Neuroscience",
  "versions": []
}