A Different View on the Etiopathogenesis of Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder from an Inflammation Perspective

Objective@#Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has a complex etiology and genetic, environmental and biological factors are considered to play a role in the etiology of ADHD by mutually interacting. Recent studies have emphasized that inflammation may be present in the etiology of ADHD. This study aims to investigate the possible role of visfatin, IL-6, IL-1β and TNF-α molecules in the etiology of ADHD. @*Methods@#The study included 60 patients and 20 healthy controls between the ages of 6−18. Serum visfatin, IL-6, IL-1βand TNF-α levels were evaluated with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits at a biochemistry laboratory. @*Results@#The study showed no statistically significant difference between children with ADHD and healthy controls in terms of visfatin, IL-6, IL-1β and TNF-α levels. When ADHD subgroups (combined and predominantly inattentive types) and the control group were compared in terms of visfatin, IL-6, IL-1β and TNF-α levels, no statistically significant difference was recorded. @*Conclusion@#Data on the relationship between ADHD and IL-6, IL-1β and TNF-α in this study are in compliance with the literature. However, no study was found on visfatin in ADHD. This study is the first one evaluating the ADHD-Visfatin relationship.

Levels of Salivary Sialic Acid in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder; Could It Be Related to Stereotypes and Hyperactivity?

OBJECTIVE: Sialic acid (Sia) is an essential nutrient for brain development, learning, memory and cognition and plays a role in neurodevelopment of infants. The aim of this study was to determine whether Sia levels are significantly associated with the autism spectrum disorder (ASD). METHODS: Forty-six ASD children and 30 typically developing children aged 3 to 10 years were included in the study. Behavioral symptoms in ASD children was assessed by the Autism Behavior Checklist (AuBC), the Childhood Autism Rating Scale, and the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC). After the collection of saliva samples, the supernatant was separated. All the samples kept at −80°C until Sia analysis was done. RESULTS: Sia level was found to be significantly lower in the ASD group when compared to healthy controls (p = 0.013). There was no correlation between severity of ASD and salivary Sia levels. We found a negative correlation between AuBC scores and Sia levels and a negative correlation in both ABC Stereotypic Behavior and Hyperactivity/Noncompliance subscales with Sia levels in ASD group. CONCLUSION: The obtained data indicate that Sia levels could have an effect on autism-like behaviors, particularly on stereotypes and hyperactivity.