ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. ADHD
This article is part of the Research TopicAssessment and Intervention for Children and Adolescents Affected by Neurodevelopmental DisordersView all 6 articles
Relationship Between Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome and Headache in Children: Insights from Biochemical Markers
Provisionally accepted
Öznur Adıgüzel Akman1*
Nihal Yıldız2- 1Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Zonguldak Bulent Ecevit University, Zonguldak, Türkiye
- 2Department of Pediatric Neurology, Zonguldak Bulent Ecevit Universitesi Tip Fakultesi, Zonguldak, Türkiye
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ABSTRACT Objective: This study aims to explore the possible relationship between Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome (CDS) and headaches in children and to understand the biochemical basis of this association. Materials and Methods: The study included children aged 6–16 who presented with headaches to the pediatric neurology and child psychiatry outpatient clinics of Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University Medical Faculty. A total of 42 children with headaches and 40 healthy controls were enrolled. All participants completed a sociodemographic data form, the Barkley Child Attention Scale (BCAS), and the DSM-5-based Atilla Turgay ADHD Rating Scale. In addition, laboratory evaluations included complete blood count parameters, ferritin, vitamin D, vitamin B12, TSH, and free T4 (fT4) levels. Results: Of the participants, 51.2% (n=42) were male and 48.8% (n=40) were female. Signs of Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome were found to be significantly higher in children with headache (p<.001). Significant differences were found between children with and without headaches in terms of biochemical parameters, including RBC, hemoglobin, ferritin, vitamin B12, vitamin D, free T4, and TSH levels. There was a negative correlation between BCAS scores and levels of vitamin B12, ferritin, vitamin D, sT4, and TSH (respectively, r = –0.246, p = 0.026; r = –0.361, p = 0.001; r = –0.436, p <0.001; r = –0.382, p <0.001; r = –0.308, p = 0.005). Conclusion: Childhood headaches may be associated with symptoms of Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome. Our data indicated that decreased levels of vitamin B12, ferritin, vitamin D, sT4, and TSH were associated with higher CDS scores, suggesting a possible link. The potential for CDS development in children with headaches should be considered, and the importance of biochemical parameters in this process should not be overlooked.
Keywords: B12, Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome, ferritin, FT4, Headache, TSH, Vitamin D
Received: 18 Oct 2025; Accepted: 02 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Adıgüzel Akman and Yıldız. 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: Öznur Adıgüzel Akman
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