Elevated serum S100B levels in medication naïve children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder

Abstract

Purpose

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a condition characterized by obsessions and/or compulsions. S100B protein is shown to be involved in microglial activation besides intracellular signaling, intercellular communication and cell growth. The relation between S100B protein and various psychiatric disorders except OCD has been studied so far. This study aimed to analyze serum S100B levels for the first time in medication naive OCD diagnosed children and adolescents and to compare them with the control group.

Materials and methods

Peripheral blood S100B levels of 27 children and adolescents with OCD were compared to 27 control group subjects to assess any possible association between OCD and S100B levels. All the children and adolescents completed the child version of the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (OCI - CV).

Results

Compared to control group, higher serum S100B levels were found in OCD group (z = −2.258, p = 0.024). We also found that obsessing and washing subscales’ scores and total score of OCI - CV were statistically significantly correlated with S100B levels (respectively, r = .292, p = 0.032; r = .306, p = 0.025; r = .296, p = 0.030).

Conclusions

The present study’s findings are in accord with previous studies demonstrating the significance of S100B protein in other psychiatric disorders and suggesting a relation in children and adolescents with OCD for the first time. The role of S100B protein in OCD etiology and pathogenesis should be evaluated further.

Keywords:

• Child psychiatry
• biomarkers
• proteins
• microglia
• inflammation

Acknowledgment

The authors would like to thank the children and adolescents for their participation in the study. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding sources. The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Author statement

All authors, who meet authorship criteria, certify that they have participated sufficiently in work to take public responsibility for the content, including participation in the concept, design, analysis, writing, or revision of the manuscript.

Author contributions

BKB: study protocol and design, data collection, data analysis, manuscript writing, and editing, ÖB: study protocol and design, data collection, data analysis, manuscript writing, and editing. ÇT: data collection, data analysis, manuscript proofreading. MTA: data analysis (laboratory assessments) and manuscript proofreading. SÜA: data collection, manuscript writing, and proofreading. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Bürge Kabukçu Başay

Bürge Kabukçu Başay (MD) is an assistant professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at Pamukkale University, Faculty of Medicine. She is interested in non-suicidal self-injury, adolescent psychopathologis and ADHD.

Ömer Başay

Ömer Başay (MD) is an assistant professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at Pamukkale University, Faculty of Medicine. He is interested in ADHD, sluggish cognitive tempo, substance use disorders and neuroscience.

Çiğdem Tanriverdi

Çiğdem Tanriverdi (MD) was a research assistant of child and adolescent psychiatry at Pamukkale University, Faculty of Medicine during the conduction of study. Currently, she works at Health Sciences University, Erzurum Regional Education and Training Hospital as a child and adolescent psychiatrist. She is interested in ADHD and childhood psychopathologies.

Melek Tunç-Ata

Melek Tunç-Ata (PhD) is a research assistant of physiology at Pamukkale University, Faculty of Medicine.

Sezai Üstün Aydin

Sezai Üstün Aydin (MD) was working as a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Denizli State Hospital during the conduction of study. He currently resides in the USA and is planning to work in his speciality area. He is interested in ADHD and childhood psychopathologies.