Urinary catecholamines in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder with and without comorbid anxiety.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether there are differences in noradrenergic or adrenergic functioning in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with and without anxiety.


METHODS
ADHD children with and without a comorbid overanxious (ANX) disorder were compared to each other and to normal controls in terms of 2-hour urinary excretion of norepinephrine (NE), epinephrine (EPI), and their metabolites. All subjects performed a fixed series of mentally stressful tasks during the collection period.


RESULTS
Children with ADHD, regardless of comorbid anxiety, excreted more normetanephrine (NMN), the chief extracellular metabolite of NE, than controls, as well as more vanillylmandelic acid. Children with ADHD alone had lower NE/NMN and EPI/metanephrine ratios compared to controls. Children with ADHD/ANX excreted more EPI than ADHD children without anxiety.


CONCLUSIONS
Children with ADHD may have a higher tonic activity of the noradrenergic system than controls, while children with comorbid ADHD/ANX may be differentiated from those with ADHD alone by higher adrenergic activity.
Pliszka
S R
SR
Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio 78284-7792.
Maas
J W
JW
Javors
M A
MA
Rogeness
G A
GA
Baker
J
J
D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000652:urine; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000652:urine; D002648:Child; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000652:urine*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008734:Methoxyhydroxyphenylglycol / Q000652:urine; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000652:urine*; D009647:Normetanephrine / Q000652:urine; D010552:Personality Assessment; D014642:Vanilmandelic Acid / Q000652:urine
D009647:Normetanephrine; D008734:Methoxyhydroxyphenylglycol; D014642:Vanilmandelic Acid; D009638:Norepinephrine; D004837:Epinephrine