Phosphatidylserine

Phosphatidylserine is a phospholipid involved in cell signaling, and blood clotting or coagulation. Phosphatidylserine is produced by reactions with phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine. Conversely, phosphatidylserine can also give rise to phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine, although in animals the pathway to generate phosphatidylcholine from phosphatidylserine only operates in the liver.

Generally, phosphatidylserine is low in children in the autism spectrum but the balance of phosphatidyethanolamine and phosphatidylserine is shifted in these children. There may be genetic causes (MARK/PAR1 kinases, PTEN) that cause conversion problems. B6, zinc and SAH allow phosphatidyethanolamine to convert readily to phosphatidylserine. These nutrients are low in children on the autism spectrum.

 

References:

Chauhan,  V. Aberrant Signal Transduction and membrane abnormalities in Autism. International Society for Autism. May 17, 2008.

El-Ansary, Afaf K. Impaired plasma phospholipids and relative amounts of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids in autistic patients from Saudi Arabia. Lipids Health Dis. 2011; 10: 63. Published online 2011 Apr 22. doi:  10.1186/1476-511X-10-63.

MF, Poyton. Cu(2+) Binds to Phosphatidylethanolamine and Increases Oxidation in Lipid Membranes. J Am Chem Soc. 2016 Feb 10;138(5):1584-90. doi: 10.1021/jacs.5b11561. Epub 2016 Jan 28.

PM, KIdd. PhosphatidylCholine (Monograph). Alternative medicine review: a journal of clinical therapeutic 7(2): January 2002.

PM, KIdd. Omega-3 DHA and EPA for cognition, behavior, and mood: clinical findings and structural-functional synergies with cell membrane phospholipids.

Altern Med Rev. 2007 Sep;12(3):207-27.

 

Su, Chen. Ether Glycerophospholipids and Their Potential as Therapeutic Agents. Current Organic Chemistry, Volume 17, Number 8, April 2013, pp. 802-811(10).

 

Tessier, Cedric. SU2. A Paradoxical Superior Cognitive Performance in Healthy Control With a Membrane Lipid Marker of Schizophrenia: The Role of the Compensatory Lipid Composition. Schizophrenia Bulletin, Volume 43, Issue suppl_1, 1 March 2017, Pages S161, https://doi.org/10.1093/schbul/sbx024.001

 

TP, Stein. Bisphenol A Exposure in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders. Autism Res. 2015 Jun;8(3):272-83. doi: 10.1002/aur.1444. Epub 2015 Jan 13.

 

WiestabJ, M. M. Plasma fatty acid profiles in autism: A case-control study. Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids. Volume 80, Issue 4: 71-72 April 2009. Pages 221-227.