Key result
Children with ADHD show lower arachidonic acid and weaker fNIRS signals during working memory tasks.
Why the study?
Polyunsaturated fatty acids biostatus has been proposed as a possible ADHD diagnosis biomarker, motivating investigation into its association with cerebral cortex metabolism.
Is polyunsaturated fatty acid biostatus associated with cerebral cortex metabolism in children with and without ADHD?
Case-Control (n=46)
Is polyunsaturated fatty acid biostatus associated with cerebral cortex metabolism in children with and without ADHD?
Polyunsaturated fatty acid levels, particularly eicosapentaenoic acid, are associated with cerebral hemodynamic changes, suggesting a potential role in atypical neurodevelopment like ADHD.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) biostatus has been proposed as possible attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis biomarker. The present exploratory study aimed to investigate the association between PUFAs biostatus and cerebral cortex metabolism measured by functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) in a sample of children with and without ADHD. 24 children with ADHD and 22 typically developing (TD) peers, aged 8-14, were recruited. Linoleic, arachidonic, docosahexaenoic and eicosapentaenoic acids levels were evaluated in whole blood. All children underwent fNIRS while performing an n-back working memory task. Between groups comparisons revealed lower levels of arachidonic acid in children with ADHD and stronger NIRS signal in TD participants, especially when completing more difficult tasks. Correlations conducted between fNIRS activation and PUFA biostatus revealed several associations between hemodynamic changes in the frontoparietal regions and fatty acids profile across participants. This result was also confirmed by the multiple hierarchical regression analyses that remarked an inverse effect of eicosapentaenoic acid levels on oxyhemoglobin values in right frontoparietal region. Such preliminary findings, if confirmed, would suggest that PUFAs could play a role in atypical neurodevelopment.
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Grazioli et al. (2019) conducted a case-control in Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (n=46). Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) biostatus vs. Typically developing peers was evaluated on Cerebral cortex metabolism measured by functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) and PUFA levels. Children with ADHD exhibited lower levels of arachidonic acid and weaker fNIRS signals during working memory tasks compared to typically developing peers, with PUFA levels correlating with hemodynamics.
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