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Morandini HAE, Watson PA, Barbaro P, Rao P. Brain iron concentration in childhood ADHD: A systematic review of neuroimaging studies. J Psychiatr Res 2024; 173:200-209. [PMID: 38547742 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.03.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
Iron deficiency may play a role in the pathophysiology of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Due to its preponderant function in monoamine catecholamine and myelin synthesis, brain iron concentration may be of primary interest in the investigation of iron dysregulation in ADHD. This study reviewed current evidence of brain iron abnormalities in children and adolescents with ADHD using magnetic resonance imaging methods, such as relaxometry and quantitative susceptibility mapping, to assess brain iron estimates. The study was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A literature search was performed for studies published between January 1, 2008 and July 7, 2023 in Medline, Scopus and Proquest. Regions of interest, brain iron index values and phenotypical information were extracted from the relevant studies. Risk of bias was assessed using a modified version of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute quality assessment tool. Seven cross-sectional studies comparing brain iron estimates in children with ADHD with neurotypical children were included. Significantly reduced brain iron content in medication-naïve children with ADHD was a consistent finding. Two studies found psychostimulant use may increase and normalize brain iron concentration in children with ADHD. The findings were consistent across the studies despite differing methodologies and may lay the early foundation for the recognition of a potential biomarker in ADHD, although longitudinal prospective neuroimaging studies using larger sample sizes are required. Lastly, the effects of iron supplementation on brain iron concentration in children with ADHD need to be elucidated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo A E Morandini
- Complex Attention and Hyperactivity Disorders Service, Child and Adolescent Health Services, Perth, WA, Australia; Division of Psychiatry, UWA Medical School, Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Australia.
| | - Prue A Watson
- Complex Attention and Hyperactivity Disorders Service, Child and Adolescent Health Services, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Parma Barbaro
- Complex Attention and Hyperactivity Disorders Service, Child and Adolescent Health Services, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Pradeep Rao
- Complex Attention and Hyperactivity Disorders Service, Child and Adolescent Health Services, Perth, WA, Australia; Division of Psychiatry, UWA Medical School, Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Australia; Telethon Kids Institute, Perth, Australia
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Parlatini V, Bellato A, Gabellone A, Margari L, Marzulli L, Matera E, Petruzzelli MG, Solmi M, Correll CU, Cortese S. A state-of-the-art overview of candidate diagnostic biomarkers for Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Expert Rev Mol Diagn 2024; 24:259-271. [PMID: 38506617 DOI: 10.1080/14737159.2024.2333277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental conditions and is highly heterogeneous in terms of symptom profile, associated cognitive deficits, comorbidities, and outcomes. Heterogeneity may also affect the ability to recognize and diagnose this condition. The diagnosis of ADHD is primarily clinical but there are increasing research efforts aiming at identifying biomarkers that can aid the diagnosis. AREAS COVERED We first discuss the definition of biomarkers and the necessary research steps from discovery to implementation. We then provide a broad overview of research studies on candidate diagnostic biomarkers in ADHD encompassing genetic/epigenetic, biochemical, neuroimaging, neurophysiological and neuropsychological techniques. Finally, we critically appraise current limitations in the field and suggest possible ways forward. EXPERT OPINION Despite the large number of studies and variety of techniques used, no promising biomarkers have been identified so far. Clinical and biological heterogeneity as well as methodological limitations, including small sample size, lack of standardization, confounding factors, and poor replicability, have hampered progress in the field. Going forward, increased international collaborative efforts are warranted to support larger and more robustly designed studies, develop multimodal datasets to combine biomarkers and improve diagnostic accuracy, and ensure reproducibility and meaningful clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Parlatini
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Alessio Bellato
- School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih, Malaysia
- Mind and Neurodevelopment (MiND) Research Cluster, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih, Malaysia
- Centre for Innovation in Mental Health, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Alessandra Gabellone
- DiBraiN-Department of Translational Biomedicine Neurosciences, University "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Lucia Margari
- DiMePRe-J-Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine-Jonic Area, University "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Lucia Marzulli
- DiBraiN-Department of Translational Biomedicine Neurosciences, University "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Emilia Matera
- DiBraiN-Department of Translational Biomedicine Neurosciences, University "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | | | - Marco Solmi
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany
- The Ottawa Hospital, Mental Health Department, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) Clinical Epidemiology Program University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- School of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Christoph U Correll
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany
- Psychiatry Research, The Zucker Hillside Hospital, Northwell Health, Glen Oaks, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Molecular Medicine, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY, USA
| | - Samuele Cortese
- Centre for Innovation in Mental Health, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
- DiMePRe-J-Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine-Jonic Area, University "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences (CNS and Psychiatry), Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Solent NHS Trust, Southampton, UK
- Hassenfeld Children's Hospital at NYU Langone, New York University Child Study Center, New York, NY, USA
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Cascone AD, Calabro F, Foran W, Larsen B, Nugiel T, Parr AC, Tervo-Clemmens B, Luna B, Cohen JR. Brain tissue iron neurophysiology and its relationship with the cognitive effects of dopaminergic modulation in children with and without ADHD. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2023; 63:101274. [PMID: 37453207 PMCID: PMC10372187 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2023.101274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Revised: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) exhibit impairments in response inhibition. These impairments are ameliorated by modulating dopamine (DA) via the administration of rewards or stimulant medication like methylphenidate (MPH). It is currently unclear whether intrinsic DA availability impacts these effects of dopaminergic modulation on response inhibition. Thus, we estimated intrinsic DA availability using magnetic resonance-based assessments of basal ganglia and thalamic tissue iron in 36 medication-naïve children with ADHD and 29 typically developing (TD) children (8-12 y) who underwent fMRI scans and completed standard and rewarded go/no-go tasks. Children with ADHD additionally participated in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover MPH challenge. Using linear regressions covarying for age and sex, we determined there were no group differences in brain tissue iron. We additionally found that higher putamen tissue iron was associated with worse response inhibition performance in all participants. Crucially, we observed that higher putamen and caudate tissue iron was associated with greater responsivity to MPH, as measured by improved task performance, in participants with ADHD. These results begin to clarify the role of subcortical brain tissue iron, a measure associated with intrinsic DA availability, in the cognitive effects of reward- and MPH-related dopaminergic modulation in children with ADHD and TD children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arianna D Cascone
- Neuroscience Curriculum, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
| | - Finnegan Calabro
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - William Foran
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Bart Larsen
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Tehila Nugiel
- Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Ashley C Parr
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Brenden Tervo-Clemmens
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Beatriz Luna
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Jessica R Cohen
- Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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Degremont A, Jain R, Philippou E, Latunde-Dada GO. Brain iron concentrations in the pathophysiology of children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review. Nutr Rev 2021; 79:615-626. [PMID: 32974643 DOI: 10.1093/nutrit/nuaa065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
CONTEXT Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurological disorder associated with iron dysregulation in children. Although previous focus was on examining systemic iron status, brain iron content may be a more reliable biomarker of the disorder. OBJECTIVE This systematic review examines whether children with ADHD have lower serum as well as brain iron concentrations, compared with healthy control subjects (HCS). DATA SOURCES A systematic literature search was conducted in Medline via PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase. and Ovid for papers published between 2000 and June 7, 2019. DATA EXTRACTION Studies were included if the mean difference of iron concentration, measured as serum iron, serum ferritin, or brain iron, between children with ADHD and HCS was an outcome measure. DATA ANALYSIS Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were followed. Risks of bias within and between studies were assessed using the quality assessment tools of the National Institutes of Health. Of 599 records screened, 20 case-control studies met the inclusion criteria. In 10 of 18 studies in which serum ferritin concentration was assessed, and 2 of 10 studies that assessed serum iron, a significant difference between children with ADHD and HCS was observed. Results of systemic iron levels were inconsistent. In 3 studies in which brain iron concentration was assessed, a statistically significant, lower thalamic iron concentration was found in children with ADHD than in HCS. CONCLUSION The evidence, though limited, reveals that brain iron rather than systemic iron levels may be more associated with the pathophysiology of ADHD in children. Larger, longitudinal, magnetic resonance imaging studies are needed to examine any correlations of iron deficiency in specific brain regions and symptoms of ADHD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexia Degremont
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Rishika Jain
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Elena Philippou
- Department of Life and Health Sciences, University of Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus
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