Serum ciliary neurotrophic factor levels in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Abstract

Purpose/aim of the study: The study aimed to highlight the possible role of ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) in the pathophysiology of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and determine whether CNTF can be used as a biomarker for ADHD.Materials and methods: Patients with a diagnosis of ADHD and neurotypical subjects aged 6–12 years were recruited prospectively. The study applied Conners’ Teacher Rating Scale (CTRS) to determine the patients’ ADHD predominance and severity. Serum CNTF levels were measured with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit.Results: A total of 43 ADHD patients and 33 healthy controls were included in the study. A significant difference was found between the serum CNTF levels of the ADHD patients (22.17 pg/ml) and the controls (22.80 pg/ml). Correlations between the CNTF levels and CTRS scores were not significant.Conclusions: The study identified an alteration of serum CNTF levels in ADHD patients and thus asserted a link between CNTF and ADHD pathophysiology; children with ADHD had significantly lower serum CNTF levels compared to the neurotypical controls. Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms of CNTF.

Keywords:

• Neurodevelopmental disorders
• neurotrophins
• dopamine
• biomarkers
• neurochemistry

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the volunteers and their families whose participation made this study possible.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Funding

No funding was received for conducting this study. The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.