The study of Tau and phospho Tau protein levels in attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder

Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a widespread neurodevelopmental disorder that begins in childhood and has negative consequences throughout adult life. The etiology and pathogenesis of ADHD are still unclear. Tau protein is a soluble microtubule-related protein expressed by neurons and localized in the cytoplasm as well as axons. Tau protein provides stability of microtubule in two ways: phosphorylation and isoforms. The excessive phosphorylation of Tau separates the protein from the microtubule, thus making it unstable. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether there is a relationship between serum Tau protein and phospho Tau (p-Tau181) levels and ADHD occurrence.

This study included 26 male children aged 7–12 years with newly diagnosed ADHD, who had previously not used any medication for ADHD, and 26 male healthy children. Serum Tau and p-Tau181 concentrations were performed by enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

In patients, the Tau levels were not significantly different from those of the controls; the p-Tau181 levels were significantly higher than those of the controls.

We concluded that high p-Tau181 might be associated with the progression of ADHD and cognitive changes in ADHD.