Abstract
Growing evidence suggests that telomeres, telomerase, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), and SIRT1 (sirtuin1) are involved in the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders. However, whether these molecules are contributors to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been little explored and poorly understood. This study aimed to determine the potential role of telomerase, MMP-9, and SIRT1 in children with ADHD. The study was performed on 46 children with ADHD aged between 8 and 14 and 43 healthy children matching in age and gender. Children were evaluated by Kiddie-Sads-Present and Lifetime Version, Conners’ Parent Rating Scale-Revised Short Form (CPRS-RS) and Stroop test. Serum telomerase, MMP-9, and SIRT1 levels were measured by a quantitative sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. MMP-9 and telomerase levels were significantly higher and SIRT1 levels were significantly lower in patients with ADHD than those of controls. All three molecules were significantly associated with both the severity of ADHD symptoms and cognitive functions. This is the first attempt to indicate that the important role of telomerase, MMP-9, and SIRT1 in ADHD, and the association of all these molecules with the severity of ADHD and cognitive functions, but future studies are required to verify these results.
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The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to Prof. Dr. Ali Cetin from Cumhuriyet University School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology for their contributions in the statistical analysis and language editing, assistance with this project.
Funding
This study was funded by the Cumhuriyet University Headquarter of Scientific Research Projects Commission under the Grant/project number T-843. The authors thank all the participants and their family for their contribution.
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The study was planned by AUC, SB, and CMI. AUC, CMI, and SAS assessed psychopathology and neuropsychological status, collected the data; SB, DU, and DB measured and analyzed all serum data; SC performed the statistical analysis of the data. AUC and SAS wrote the main paper and SC designed the tables. CMI, SB, DU, and DB reviewed the paper and gave technical support and conceptual advice. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Uzun Cicek, A., Mercan Isik, C., Bakir, S. et al. Evidence supporting the role of telomerase, MMP-9, and SIRT1 in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). J Neural Transm 127, 1409–1418 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-020-02231-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-020-02231-w