ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Neurol.
Sec. Pediatric Neurology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2025.1662441
Exploring the levels of homocysteine and its relationship with cognitive function in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Pediatric Neurology, Capital Center For Children’s Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- 2Department of Neonatology, Beijing Chao-Yang District Maternal and Child Healthcare Hospital, Beijing, China
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Background: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder frequently accompanied by cognitive dysfunction. However, the precise etiology of the cognitive impairment remains unclear. Homocysteine is recognized as a risk factor that contributes to cognitive impairment. Objective: To explore the potential changes in serum homocysteine levels in children with ADHD and to evaluate its relationship with cognitive function. Methods: In this cross-sectional and case-control study, 39 children diagnosed with ADHD were recruited from the outpatient clinic of the Capital Center for Children’s Health, Capital Medical University, along with 40 age- and sex-matched healthy children from the Health Care Department. Serum homocysteine levels were measured via the enzyme cycle method. Age and sex were incorporated into stratified analyses. Cognitive function in patients with ADHD was evaluated using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF).Results: Compared with the healthy individuals, patients with ADHD exhibited significantly higher serum total homocysteine levels (7.20±1.19 µmol/ L vs. 6.35±1.11 µmol/ L, p =0.002). This association was prominent in younger patients (7.21±1.39 µmol/L vs. 5.84±0.18 µmol/L, p =0.001) and male patients (7.21±1.15 µmol/L vs. 6.44±1.18 µmol/L, p =0.010). No significant correlation was observed between serum total homocysteine levels and BRIEF scores (p>0.05).Conclusion: The study indicates that compared to healthy individuals, patients with ADHD exhibit relatively high homocysteine levels, especially in younger and male patients. However, this study did not support a significant correlation between homocysteine levels and cognitive function in children with ADHD.
Keywords: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Homocysteine, Cognitive Function, BRIEF, Children
Received: 09 Jul 2025; Accepted: 20 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wang, Liu, Wang, Zhang and Yang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jian Yang, yangjian1306@sina.com
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