ABSTRACT:
Background: ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder. There is increased prevalence of ADHD in children and adolescents in many countries and in Egypt. The specific causes for ADHD are unknown but there are several factors contribute or exacerbate ADHD as food. Sphingosin 1 phosphate (S1P) is a sphingolipid that is involved in inflammatory cell action and neuronal proliferation and differentiation and neurotransmitter release. S1P is involved in disease pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders including neurodevelopmental disorders. Aim: to measure serum S1P level in a group of ADHD children before and after (gluten elimination and dietary protein restriction) and its relation to ADHD outcome
Subjects and Methods: That interventional study was executed in behavioral and psychological assessment clinic of national research center from June 2014 to June 2017. The study was applied on 47 children newly diagnosed with ADHD not received pharmacological or behavioral therapy, their ages are from 6 to 9 years. Sphingosin1 phosphate (S1P) was measured before and after (diet dietary protein restriction and gluten elimination from food) for 5 weeks with the follow up with Conner's parent rating scale-revised short (CPR-RS).
Results:
Sphingosin 1phosphate (S1P) decreased statistically significantly after diet protein intake restriction and gluten elimination. This decrease was accompanied by improvement in the behavior of children as confirmed by CPR.
Conclusion: Decrease of serum S1P level after dietary protein intake restriction in ADHD children with concomitant improvement in behavioral symptoms indicating the role of dietary proteins and S1P in the pathogenesis of ADHD.