Serum Brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels in Chinese children with autism spectrum disorders: A pilot study

•Skewed expression of BDNF has been linked to autism spectrum disorders.•The results indicated that the median serum BDNF levels were significantly higher in ASD as compared to normal.•Serum BDNF levels >15.0ng/ml were associated with a 10.4-fold increase risk in ASD.•Our study demonstrated that serum higher BDNF levels could be considered as an independent risk factor of ASD. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of Autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential role of BDNF in Chinese children with ASD. Sixty patients (48 male, 12 female) diagnosed with ASD and 60 healthy sex and age control subjects were assessed for serum BDNF content at admission. BDNF were assayed with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methods, and severity of ASD was evaluated with the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) Score. The results indicated that the median serum BDNF levels were significantly (P15.0ng/ml (adjusted OR 10.4, 95% CI: 4.39–29.32) after adjusting for above possible confounders. Our study demonstrated that serum BDNF levels were associated with ASD, and higher levels could be considered as an independent risk factor of ASD.