444HAIR MAGNESIUM AND BLOOD SERUM HOMOCYSTEINE IN AUTISTIC CHILDRENAutism is a disease of variable clinical manifestation, genetically predisposed and depending on various epigenetic factors. Magnesium plays an important role among those factors. The study, involving 93 autistic children, demonstrated a significant reduction of tissue magnesium levels, high homocysteine levels and normal blood serum magnesium levels. Magnesium deficiency causes a reduced methylation of homocysteine to methionine; and high homocysteine level causes reduction of genome transcription and synaptic plasticity – being base irregularities in autism. The study results indicate purposefulness of determination of hair magnesium in autistic children, confirm usability of homocysteine determination as a part of a diagnostic process, and constitute the basis for attempted treatment of autistic children with magnesium productsjanjose@poczta.onet.plReview612016Magnesium,Autism,Epigenetics,Homocysteine,MethylationJózefczuk Jan,Kasprzycka Wiktoria,Czarnecki Rafał,Padzik-Graczyk Alfreda,Kwiatkowska-Graczyk Róża,Kwiatek Alicja,Magda KrzysztofThe Paediatric Ward with the Unit of Paediatric Cardiology, The Holy Spirit Special Hospital in Sandomierz, address: 13 Schinzla Street, Sandomierz, zip code 27-600, Poland., The Department of Biochemistry and Optical Spectroscopy, the Institute of Optoelectronics – The Military University of Technology in Warsaw.,The Paediatric Ward with the Unit of Paediatric Cardiology, The Holy Spirit Special Hospital in Sandomierz, address: 13 Schinzla Street, Sandomierz, zip code 27-600, Poland., The Department of Biochemistry and Optical Spectroscopy, the Institute of Optoelectronics – The Military University of Technology in Warsaw.,The Paediatric Ward with the Unit of Paediatric Cardiology, The Holy Spirit Special Hospital in Sandomierz, address: 13 Schinzla Street, Sandomierz, zip code 27-600, Poland.,The Paediatric Ward with the Unit of Paediatric Cardiology, The Holy Spirit Special Hospital in Sandomierz, address: 13 Schinzla Street, Sandomierz, zip code 27-600, Poland., Marian Smoluchowski’s Institute of Ph