Evaluation of serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: preliminary data/ Dikkat eksikligi ve hiperaktivite bozuklugu

Objective: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has an important role in the survival, differentiation and synaptic plasticity of a series of neuronal systems including dopaminergic neurons. For this reason, it is proposed that BDNF plays a role in the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) pathophysiology. In this study, serum BDNF levels in children diagnosed with ADHD were compared with those in healthy subjects. Methods: 30 children diagnosed with ADHD and 31 healthy control subjects aged 6-12 years were recruited to the study. The psychiatric diagnoses were determined by applying a semi-structured interview using the Kiddies Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL) and serum BDNF levels of the subjects were measured. Both parents were asked to fill out the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) for children 4-18 years of age. Results: When ADHD cases and the controls were compared, no statistically significant difference was found in mean levels of serum BDNF (p = 0.885). In ADHD cases, no statistically significant correlation was found between serum BDNF levels and ADHD subtypes (p = 0.093). However, although there was no statistically significant difference, serum BDNF levels were found to be low in children diagnosed with attention deficit predominant type ADHD compared to children diagnosed with combined type ADHD. Conclusion: This studydoes notsupportthe hypothesisthat BDNFplays a role in the etiology of ADHD. However, to interpret accurately the levels of BDNF the factors that affect the levels, the reliable measurement source of the peripheral blood BDNF and its method must be enlightened. (Archives of Neuropsychiatry 2012; 49:96-101) Key words: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, children, neurotrophin Am ac: Beyinden koken alan norotrofik faktor (BDNF) noronlarin gelisim ve sag kalimini destekler ve dopaminerjik noronlari da iceren pek cok noronda sinaptik plastisite mekanizmalarinda cok onemli rol oynar. BDNF'nin noronal gelisimde onemli bir role sahip olmasi nedeniyle cocukluk baslangicli norogelisimsel bir hastalik olan DEHB'nin de patogenezinde rolu olabilecegi hipotezi one surulmustur. Bu calismada, DEHB tanisi alan hastalarda serum BDNF duzeylerinin saglikli kontrollerle karsilastirilmasi amaclanmistir. Yontem: Bu calismaya 6-12 yas arasinda 30 DEHB'li ve 31 saglikli kontrol cocuk alinmistir. Calismaya katilan tum co