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Catecholamine response to exercise in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Sharon B Wigal1, Dan Nemet, James M Swanson
1Child Development Center, University of California, Irvine 92612, USA.
Pediatric Research
|March 7, 2003
Summary
Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) exhibit a blunted catecholamine (CA) response to exercise. This study reveals a deficiency in CA excretion in ADHD children, detectable through a non-pharmacologic challenge.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pediatrics
- Exercise Physiology
Background:
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with catecholamine (CA) dysfunction.
- The impact of exercise on CA levels in children with ADHD is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate differences in CA response to exercise between children with ADHD and controls.
- To determine if exercise challenges can reveal CA deficiencies in ADHD.
Main Methods:
- Recruited treatment-naïve children with newly diagnosed ADHD and age-matched male controls.
- Administered a scaled exercise test to measure CA (epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine) and lactate response.
- Compared physiological responses between ADHD and control groups.
Main Results:
- Both epinephrine and norepinephrine responses to exercise were blunted in the ADHD group.
- Dopamine levels increased in controls but not in children with ADHD.
- ADHD subjects showed an attenuated lactate response to exercise.
Conclusions:
- Children with ADHD exhibit deficient catecholamine excretion following exercise challenges.
- Exercise testing provides a minimally invasive, non-pharmacologic method to detect CA deficiencies in ADHD.
- Findings suggest a potential link between CA dysregulation and ADHD pathophysiology.