“…In line with earlier studies, our study demonstrated that chronic intake of fructose throughout pregnancy and lactation has a profound impact on brain development by altering the expression of TNF-α and several neurodevelopmental biomarkers such as NRG1, GAD67, NGF and IGF1. Moreover, decreased levels of brain 5HIAA, end-metabolite of serotonin metabolism, in fructose-exposed groups confirmed the findings of previous studies that showed significantly lowered serotonin turnover in ASD patients (Adamsen et al, 2014;Sparks et al, 2014). Parallel to clinical observations, in an experimental study, it has been found that mice deficient in neuronal tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (Tph2-/-), which lack brain serotonin, displayed considerable deficits in social interaction and communication, and also showed highly repetitive and compulsive behaviors (Kane et al, 2012).…”