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Plasma BDNF levels in children with ADHD before and after methylphenidate treatment Cover

Plasma BDNF levels in children with ADHD before and after methylphenidate treatment

Scandinavian Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology
Volume 14 (2026): Issue 1 (January 2026)
By: Maj-Brit Aastrøm,  Signe Vangkilde,  Julie Ertman Nørkær Lundsgaard and  Thomas Habekost  
Open Access
|May 2026
Figures & tables

Figures & Tables

FIGURE 1.

Study flow * Excluded due to suspected autism ** Six patients declined blood sampling *** Four controls declined blood sampling ⁰ Three patients did not want to undergo blood sampling. ⁰⁰ Blood samples could not be obtained from one control participant. ˟ Two patients could not be pricked for blood sampling at baseline. ˟ ˟ One patient dropped out because he did not want to take the prescribed medication. ˟ ˟ ˟ One control dropped out due to time concerns from the family.

FIGURE 2.

Fasting BDNF levels (pg/ml) in patients and healthy controls at baseline (0_green) and follow-up (12; red).

FIGURE 3A.

ADHD-rs scores, rated by parents.

FIGURE 3B.

ADHD-rs scores, rated by teachers.

FIGURE 4A.

Correlation between baseline BDNF levels and improvement in parent-rated ADHD-rating scale inattention symptom scores. Note. BDNF = Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; ADHD-rs = ADHD-rating scale.

FIGURE 4B.

Correlation between baseline BDNF levels and improvement in parent-rated ADHD-rating scale hyperactivity symptom scores. Note. BDNF = Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; ADHD-rs = ADHD-rating scale.

Participant characteristics

PatientsControlsp-values (Pt. vs. C)
nMeanSDnMeanSD
Age (years), baseline2110.44(1.33)2510.26(1.33).643
Boys/Girls19/2 20/5 .335
ADHD-C /ADHI-I17/4
Children with a comorbid disorder4
Methylphenidate mg/day2027.63(9.34)
Tanner stage, baseline211.47(.79)251.76(1.24).361
Tanner stage, follow-up171.40(.66)241.83(1.19).152
BMI, baseline2119.31(3.66)2516.54(2.74).006
BMI, follow-up1518.98(3.89)2316.76(2.24).058
Systolic blood pressure, baseline20103.95(6.43)23101.70(10.65).414
Diastolic blood pressure, baseline2064.80(4.79)2365.00(8.58).924
Systolic blood pressure, follow-up17106.41(8.14)24111.63(13.29).159
Diastolic blood pressure, follow-up1767.88(6.90)2466.92(7.95).688
Physical activity score (median, IQR)203.0[2.0; 4.0]243.0[3.0;4.0].179

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Patients

    Inclusion criteria

  • Age 7–12 years

  • Primary diagnosis of ADHD or ADD

  • Clinical indication for MPH treatment

  • Fluent in Danish

    Exclusion criteria

  • Primary psychiatric or neurological diagnosis other than ADHD

  • Medical or psychiatric conditions contraindicating MPH treatment

  • Previous psychopharmacological treatment

  • Head injury with temporary loss of consciousness

  • IQ < 70

  • Abnormal birth circumstances

    Controls

  • Inclusion criteria

  • Matching patients on age, sex and zip code area

  • Fluent in Danish

    Exclusion criteria

  • Previous or suspected psychiatric condition

  • Abnormal executive functioning based on:

    • K-SADS-PL interview with child and parents

    • ADHD-rating scale completed by parents

    • BRIEF completed by parents

  • IQ < 70 (based on 4 subtests of WISC-IV) Head injury with temporary loss of consciousness

Fasting plasma BDNF levels (pg/ml) in the ADHD and healthy control groups at baseline and follow-up

Patient groupControl groupPatients vs. controls
nMedianQ1Q3nMedianQ1Q3p
Baseline1947.1237.7058.612541.2222.6149.71.044
Follow-up1542.5829.9170.472326.3821.7334.32.007
Baseline to follow-up change13−0.70−10.8126.1123−0.56−16.262.93.026

Spearman correlations between baseline-to-follow-up changes in plasma BDNF levels and ADHD symptom scores in the ADHD group_

Symptom change scoresrp
Inattention (parent).32.29
Hyperactivity (parent).52.07
Behaviour (parent).23.44
Inattention (teacher)−.11.73
Hyperactivity (teacher).04.90
Behaviour (teacher).21.51
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/sjcapp-2026-0003 | Journal eISSN: 2245-8875
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Language: English
Page range: 13 - 26
Published on: May 2, 2026
Published by: Psychiatric Research Unit
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
Publication frequency: 1 issue per year
Keywords:
Childhood ADHD,
Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor,
Methylphenidate
Related subjects:
Medicine,
Basic medical science,
Basic medical science, other

© 2026 Maj-Brit Aastrøm, Signe Vangkilde, Julie Ertman Nørkær Lundsgaard, Thomas Habekost, published by Psychiatric Research Unit
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

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