Phosphatidylserine for the Treatment of Pediatric Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Systematic Review and
Alisha Bruton1,2, Joy Nauman2, Douglas Hanes2
1Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA.
Insights
Phosphatidylserine supplementation may improve inattention symptoms in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, evidence quality is low, necessitating further research into its efficacy for ADHD treatment.
Area of Science:
- Nutritional Neuroscience
- Pediatric Psychiatry
- Evidence-Based Medicine
Background:
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder in children.
- Phosphatidylserine is a phospholipid vital for neuronal membrane function.
- Existing evidence on phosphatidylserine for ADHD symptoms requires systematic evaluation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and meta-analyze the efficacy of phosphatidylserine supplementation for ADHD symptoms in children.
- To assess the quality of evidence for phosphatidylserine's effects on inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of studies on phosphatidylserine for ADHD in children (≤18 years).
- Meta-analysis included randomized clinical trials (RCTs).
- Searches conducted in Medline, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov up to August 2020.
- Assessed effect sizes, confidence intervals, heterogeneity (I²), and evidence quality (GRADE).
Main Results:
- Three RCTs (n=216) were included in the meta-analysis.
- Phosphatidylserine (200-300 mg/day) significantly improved inattention symptoms (ES=0.36, p=0.01).
- No statistically significant effects were found for overall ADHD symptoms (p=0.07) or hyperactivity-impulsivity (p=0.09).
Conclusions:
- Preliminary evidence suggests phosphatidylserine may benefit inattention symptoms in children with ADHD.
- The overall quality of the evidence is low.
- Further high-quality research is warranted to confirm these findings and explore optimal dosing.
Abstract:
Objective: To examine the evidence for efficacy of phosphatidylserine for symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. Methods: Medline, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched from inception through August 2020. Studies of any design that assessed phosphatidylserine supplementation for children aged ≤18 years with a diagnosis of ADHD were included in the systematic review; only randomized clinical trials were included in the meta-analysis. Standardized mean differences and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated, and the heterogeneity of the studies was estimated using I2. The overall quality of the evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation tool. Results: Four studies met the inclusion criteria for the narrative review (n = 344) and three for the meta-analysis (n = 216). Results of the meta-analysis showed a statistically significant effect of 200-300 mg/day of phosphatidylserine on symptoms of inattention relative to placebo (effect size [ES] 0.36; 95% CI: 0.07 to 0.64; p = 0.01). The effects of phosphatidylserine on overall symptoms of ADHD (ES 0.76; 95% CI: -0.07 to 1.60; p = 0.07) and hyperactivity-impulsivity (ES 0.24; 95% CI: -0.04 to 0.53; p = 0.09) were not statistically significant. Conclusions: Preliminary evidence suggests that phosphatidylserine may be effective for reducing symptoms of inattention in children with ADHD, although the quality of the evidence is low and additional research in this area is warranted.
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