Serum Biomarker Analysis in Pediatric ADHD: Implications of Homocysteine, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, Ferritin, and Iron Levels

Tanja Lukovac; Olivera Aleksić Hil; Milka Popović; Vitomir Jovanović; Tatjana Savić; Aleksandra M Pavlović; Dragan Pavlović

doi:10.3390/children11040497

Serum Biomarker Analysis in Pediatric ADHD: Implications of Homocysteine, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, Ferritin, and Iron Levels

Children (Basel). 2024 Apr 22;11(4):497. doi: 10.3390/children11040497.

Authors

Tanja Lukovac¹, Olivera Aleksić Hil², Milka Popović³, Vitomir Jovanović⁴, Tatjana Savić⁵, Aleksandra M Pavlović⁶, Dragan Pavlović⁶

Affiliations

¹ Center for Speech and Language Pathology Higia Logos, Mirijevski Bulevar 17 b, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia.
² Institute of Mental Health, Palmoticeva 37, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.
³ Beo-Lab Laboratories, Resavska 58-60, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.
⁴ Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, Čika-Ljubina 18-20, 11102 Belgrade, Serbia.
⁵ Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković"-National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 142 Despot Stefan Boulevard, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.
⁶ Faculty of Special Education and Rehabilitation, University of Belgrade, Visokog Stevana 2, 11102 Belgrade, Serbia.

Abstract

The current diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is based on history, clinical observation, and behavioral tests. There is a high demand to find biomarkers for the diagnosis of ADHD. The aim of this study is to analyze the serum profiles of several biomarkers, including homocysteine (Hcy), vitamin B12, vitamin D, ferritin, and iron, in a cohort of 133 male subjects (6.5-12.5 years), including 67 individuals with an ADHD diagnosis based on DSM-V criteria and 66 age-matched healthy boys (healthy controls, HC). Assessments for ADHD included the Iowa Conners' Teacher Rating Scale (CPRS) and the ADHDT test, as well as cognitive assessments using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) and the TROG-2 language comprehension test. Hcy and iron were quantified using spectrophotometry, while vitamin B12 and total 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels were determined using an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) and ferritin was measured using a particle-enhanced immunoturbidimetric assay. The results showed significantly increased Hcy levels and decreased vitamin B12 levels in ADHD patients compared to HCs. Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that Hcy is a potential prognostic indicator for ADHD. These results suggest that elevated homocysteine and decreased vitamin B12 may serve as markers for the diagnosis and prognosis of ADHD.

Keywords: ADHD; children; ferritin; homocysteine; iron; vitamin B12; vitamin D.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Department of Scientific Research of Company Lane Team with the Center of language pathology Higia Logos (Grant No, 2-12-18) and The Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia (contract number, 451-03-66/2024-03/200007).