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Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine whether there are differences in the biochemical blood parameters between individuals with Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome (CDS) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and to investigate the relationship between vitamin levels and these disorders, as well as their impact on symptom severity., Methods: The study included 35 patients with ADHD, 35 patients with both ADHD and CDS, and 35 healthy control subjects who presented to the child and adolescent psychiatry outpatient clinic between January 2022 and 2023, matched for age and gender. Children aged 7-15 were included in the study. Participants were administered a sociodemographic data form, DSM-IV Based Screening and Assesment Scale for Disruptive Behavior Disorders- Parent form (DBSAS-DBD) and the Barkley Child Attention Scale (BCAS). Hemogram parameters, iron, ferritin, Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH), T3, T4, and vitamin levels (B12, folic acid, vitamin D) were analyzed for all participants., Results: Of the participants, 78 (74.3%) were male, and 27 (25.7%) were female. In the analysis, Vitamin B12 and D levels were found to be significantly lower in the ADHD + CDS group compared to both the ADHD group and the control group (p = 0.04; p = 0.03; p = 0.009 p = 0.004 respectively). Hemoglobin levels did not significantly differ between the ADHD + CDS group and the ADHD group, but were significantly higher in the ADHD + CDS group compared to the control group (p = 0.004). Ferritin levels were significantly lower in both the ADHD + CDS group and the ADHD group (p < 0.001; p < 0.001, respectively)., Conclusions: The significant decrease in vitamin B12 and vitamin D in the CDS + ADHD group may be related to daytime sleepiness and slow cognitive processes in the CDS clinic. Screening for nutritional deficiencies in individuals with CDS may be beneficial for clinical management, and identifying differences in blood parameters of CDS from ADHD will contribute to a better understanding of this clinical condition. This is an exploratory study with a rather small sample size, in which many outcomes were examined. Further studies with larger and more diverse samples will provide a more comprehensive understanding of the biochemical foundations of these two conditions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest I have nothing to declare., (Copyright © 2025. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Inflammation is thought to play a role in the etiopathogenesis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Procalcitonin (PCT) is an inflammatory biomarker released by thyroid parafollicular cells. CRP is systemic biomarker of inflammation. In this study, the hypothesis that PCT and C-reactive protein (CRP) might be indicators of increased inflammatory response was tested. For this purpose, PCT and CRP as well as other simple inflammatory markers were evaluated in children with ASD and ADHD. A total of 33 ASD, 36 ADHD, and 31 healthy controls were included in the study, who were similar in terms of gender and age. PCT, CRP, sedimentation and hemogram parameters (Neutrophil Lymphocyte Ratio) were measured in children aged 5-15 years. PCT and CRP values were found to be statistically significantly higher in ASD and ADHD children compared to healthy controls ( p  < 0.05). A positive correlation was found between PCT and CRP values (r: 0.358; p  < 0.001). No significant correlations were found between disorder severity scale scores and PCT and CRP values ( p  > 0.05 for both). Accordingly, it is suggested that inflammation plays a role in the etiopathogenesis of these disorders. PCT and CRP may be used as inflammation markers., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors., (© The British Society of Developmental Disabilities 2023.)

Self-injurious behaviors (SIBs) in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are destructive symptoms that can lead to dangerous injuries and life-threatening risks. Agitation and SIBs may not respond to psychopharmacological and behavioral interventions. There are reports in the literature on improvement after electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in cases not responding pharmacotherapy. However, data on the efficacy of the therapy on the benefiting patients, the course of the treatment and on the use of maintenance ECT (m-ECT) are very limited. This report presents the clinical features and the course of m-ECT on two cases under follow up for pharmacotherapy resistant ASD with significant agitation, mood disorder and SIBs that could cause severe head traumas. The initial stage of therapy consisted of 7 sessions of ECT patients showed improvement after the 5th session. m-ECT were started since the agitation repeated one week after discharge despite ongoing pharmacotherapy. In the first case, m-ECT was continued once every two weeks for a total of 46 sessions; and in the second case a total of 18 weekly sessions were conducted. No significant side effects or complications were observed and the general state of well-being was preserved. Our paper is among the few that reported succesful treatment of agitation with m-ECT. m-ECT should be considered in treatment resistant cases.