title: Serum cytokines in pediatric neuropsychiatric syndromes: focus on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Inflammation may represent a common underlying mechanism in a wide range of diseases, including neuropsychiatric disorders. Cytokine involvement has been investigated in some studies on patients with childhood neuropsychiatric diseases. The aim of this study was to determine whether cytokines are involved in ADHD to provide a rationale for immune-based therapeutic strategies in this disorder.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty children were studied: 34 consecutive drug-naïve children with ADHD (30 males and 4 females; mean age of 10.10 years, SD=2.43 age) and 26 healthy control children (22 males and 4 females; mean age of 10.70 years, SD=1.81). All cytokines but IL-2 (IL4-IL6-IL10- IL17-TNFA and IFNG) were studied by ELISAs; IL-2 was instead studied by means of paired anti-cytokine Abs and cytokine standards obtained from PharMingen.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data reveal higher IL-6 and IL-10 levels in ADHD patients than in the control group (P=0.03). No differences emerged between the two groups for the other cytokines.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study showed an imbalance between pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines that may play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of ADHD.
authors.affiliation: Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Donfrancesco
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nativio
authors.affiliation: LUMSA University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Edoardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Borrelli
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Giua
authors.affiliation: LUMSA University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Elda
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Andriola
authors.affiliation: NESMOS Department, S. Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Villa
authors.affiliation: Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy - michela.ditrani@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: DI Trani
mesh_terms: D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; D002648:Child; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines