Objective: To study the function of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Methods: One hundred and twenty-eight boys with ADHD at ages of 6 to 14 years were enrolled. The diagnosis and grouping of ADHD were based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV): ADHD-predominantly inattention type (ADHD-I, n=44), ADHD-predominantly hyperactive impulsivetype (ADHD-HI, n=32) and ADHD-combined type (ADHD-C, n=52). Thirty healthy boys served as the control group. Plasma levels of cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) were measured by automatic particle enzyme immunoassay and electrochemiluminescence respectively at 8:00 am. The intelligence level was tested by Raven's standard progressive matrices.
Results: The children with ADHD had lower IQ score (84.5 + or - 11.3) than the control group (94.6 + or - 12.4) (p<0.01). There were significant differences in the IQ score among the three ADHD subgroups (p<0.01). The IQ score in the ADHD-I and the ADHD-C groups was significantly lower than that in the control group. The mean plasma cortisol level in the ADHD group (226.5 + or - 129.1 nmol/L) was significantly lower than that in the control group (384.5 + or - 141.4 nmol/L) (p<0.01). The three ADHD subgroups showed significantly decreased plasma cortisol level compared with the control group (p<0.01). The plasma level of cortisol was the lowest in the ADHD-HI group (154.4 + or - 71.6 nmol/L), followed by the ADHD I group (219.4 + or - 117.7 nmol/L) and the ADHD-C group (258.3 + or - 136.4 nmol/L). There were no significant differences in plasma concentration of ACTH between ADHD and control children.
Conclusions: In the non-stress state, the HPA axis may be dysfunctional in children with ADHD, which may be attributed to the under reactivity of the HPA axis. Lower plasma cortisol has fewer impacts on the cognitive-behavior function, but it may closely be related to attention deficit, hyperactivity and impulsive behaviors.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Ossification patterns of the C1 (atlas) and C2 (axis) vertebrae children.
Clin Imaging
December 2024
Bagcilar Training and Research Hospital, Radiology Department, Bagcilar, Istanbul, Turkey. Electronic address:
Purpose: This retrospective study aimed to assess ossification patterns and synchondrosis fusion timelines of the C1 and C2 vertebrae in pediatric age group, to help differentiate injuries from normal variations and serve as a guide when evaluating incompletely fused synchondrosis.
Materials And Methods: The study analyzed 432 CT examinations of children aged 0-72 months, conducted at a single institution between January 2010 and January 2018. The focus was assessment of the visibility and fusion of the three ossification centers and three synchondroses of the atlas, and six ossification centers and four synchondroses of the axis, based on age.
Non-invasive pressure-volume loop derived temporal elastance, contractility, and efficiency indices for assessing Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients.
Heart Vessels
December 2024
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Rhodes Hall 593, 2851 Woodside Drive, Cincinnati, OH, 45219, USA.
Ejection fraction is commonly used to assess Duchenne muscular dystrophy-associated cardiomyopathy (DMDAC), but it may remain normal (wrongly) despite significant myocardial dysfunction in patients. Therefore, better indicators of myocardial dysfunction are needed for longitudinal (with time) assessment and treatment of DMDAC patients. This study evaluates non-invasive LV PV loop-derived elastance, contractility and efficiency in relation to EF for patients developing DMDAC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDevelopment of a New Score Based on Image Defined Risk Factors to Standardize Surgical Risk in Neuroblastoma Resection - A SIOPEN Collaborative Study.
J Pediatr Surg
December 2024
Pediatric Surgery, Dipartimento di Medicina di Precisione e Rigenerativa a Area Jonica, Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria Consorziale Ospedale Pediatrico Giovanni XXIII, Bari, Italy.
Background And Aims: Image Defined Risk Factors (IDRFs) assess surgical risk in neuroblastoma (NB) and guide neoadjuvant therapy. Despite chemotherapy IDRFs may persist in 70 % of cases. Several studies have suggested that not all IDRFs hold equal significance and that the presence of an IDRF does not inherently signify unresectability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFReal-world use of integrated intraoperative OCT in pediatric cataract.
Indian J Ophthalmol
December 2024
University of Pittsburgh Medical School, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, UPMC Vision Institute, Pittsburgh, USA.
Purpose: To study the utility of integrated intraoperative OCT (i2OCT) in pediatric patients with cataracts in the real world.
Methods: It was a retrospective case series. We included patients aged 0-12 years with unilateral or bilateral cataracts who underwent cataract surgery or membranectomy for visual axis opacification between July 2022 and December 2023, where intraoperative OCT was used.
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in anorexia nervosa; an underestimated endocrine dysfunction among adolescents.
Front Pediatr
December 2024
Pediatric Department, Buzzi Children's Hospital, Milan, Italy.
In patients affected by anorexia nervosa (AN) different endocrine abnormalities have been described, but, among them, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) dysfunction, although associated to important side effects, is underestimated and has no therapeutical options. We present a narrative literature review to investigate the HPA axis in patients with AN, in order to highlight HPA dysfunction and its effects. We also described the crucial role of HPA monitoring, and to consider eventual therapeutic and preventive strategies in AN patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!