Ubiquinone Levels as a Marker of Antioxidant System in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

The aims of this study are to compare serum ubiquinone levels in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with healthy controls and to investigate the correlation between ubiquinone levels of children with ADHD and their ADHD symptoms. Twenty-seven children who are 6-12 years old age with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder having clinically normal intelligence and 23 children with clinically normal intelligence and no psychiatric disorder of similar age and sex who referred to Ankara University School of Medicine Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry were included in this study. All children were diagnosed by same researcher using the Semi-Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Scale for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia Interview for School Children-Now and for the Life-Long Version (K-SADS-PL). Parents and teachers of the children completed the Conners Parent Rating Scale Revised Long Form (CPRS-LF) and Conners Teacher Rating Scale Revised Long Form (CTRS-LF). There were no statistically significant differences regarding the age, gender, and sociodemographic data of the groups. Serum ubiquinone levels of the ADHD group were significantly lower than the control group. We did not find any correlation between ubiquinone levels and clinical values. Since ubiquinone levels are lower in children with ADHD compared with controls, we suggest that decreased antioxidant levels may play a role in ADHD pathogenesis by disrupting oxidative balance.