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Aynur Pekcanlar Akay,1 Gamze Capa Kaya,2,3 Burak Baykara,1 Yusuf Demir,2,3 Handan Özek,1 Sevay Alsen,1 Mine Sencan Eren,2,3 Neslihan Inal Emiroglu,1 Turkan Ertay,2,3 Yesim Ozturk,4 Suha Miral,1 Hatice Durak,2,3 Evren Tufan4 1Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2Department of Nuclear Medicine, 3Department of Pediatrics, Dokuz Eylul University Medical Faculty, Izmir, 4Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Abant İzzet Baysal University, Bolu, Turkey Abstract: Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders. The pathophysiology is thought to involve noradrenaline and dopamine. The role of dopamine transporter (DAT) was evaluated in imaging studies using mostly dopamine reuptake inhibitors. Atomoxetine is a selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor. Here we report the results of a pilot study conducted to evaluate changes in striatal DAT after 8 weeks of atomoxetine treatment. Our results suggest that 8 weeks of atomoxetine treatment may change striatal DAT bioavailability as measured via SPECT but that change was not correlated with genotype or clinical improvement. Keywords: neuroimaging, dopamine, noradrenaline, SLC6A3 protein, human, pragmatic clinical trial, pilot study

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common and heritable neurodevelopmental disorders which may last through the life-span. A consensus report on diagnosis and management of ADHD among Turkish youth was prepared previously. However, the participants as well as the management options were rather limited and developments in the past decade necessitated a revision and update of the consensus. Therefore, this review aims to summarize the consensus among Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists from Türkiye on the nature and management of pediatric ADHD. For those aims, the etiology of ADHD, diagnostic and evaluation process, epidemiology, developmental presentations, differential diagnoses and comorbidities, course/outcome and pharmacological as well as non-pharmacological management options were reviewed and suggestions for clinical practice are presented. Since ADHD is a chronic disorder with wide-ranging effects on functionality that is frequently accompanied by other mental disorders, a multidimensional therapeutic approach is recommended. However, since the disorder has neurobiological basis, pharmacotherapy represents the mainstay of treatment. Additional therapies may include psychosocial therapy, behavioral therapy, school-based therapeutic approaches, and family education. This review provides recommendations for ADHD at the national and global levels. It contains information about ADHD that will contribute to and facilitate clinicians' decision-making processes. It is advisable to consider this guideline in clinical practice., Competing Interests: ESE and IET spoke on behalf of Ali Raif and Abdi İbrahim pharmaceutical companies. The other authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Öğütlü, Kütük, Tufan, Akay, Gündoğdu and Ercan.)

Objective: Studies have shown that theory of mind, emotion regulation and pragmatic abilities are negatively affected in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder ( OCD). We aimed to investigate theory of mind (ToM) abilities, social responsiveness, pragmatic language, and emotion regulation skills in children with OCD and to compare them to healthy controls., Methods: This study was designed as a single-center, cross-sectional, case-control study. ToM abilities were evaluated via "Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test" (RMET), "Faces Test", "Faux-Pas Test", "Comprehension Test" and "Unexpected Outcomes Test". Social responsiveness, pragmatic language and emotion regulation were evaluated by Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), Children's Communication Checklist- Second Edition (CCC-2), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS). Within the study period, we enrolled 85 adolescents (42 with OCD and 43 controls)., Results: The OCD group performed significantly lower than healthy controls in the Faux Pass and Comprehension tests ( p  = 0.003 for both). We found a statistically significant difference between groups in terms of the goal, strategy, non-acceptance subscales of the DERS ( p  < 0.001, p  = 0.006, p  = 0.008, respectively) as well as the total DERS score ( p  < 0.001). CY-BOCS total scores correlated significantly and negatively with Comprehension, Faux Pas and Unexpected Outcomes tests, and positively with CCC total, SRS total and DERS total scores. In regression analysis the DERS, SRS and CCC tests emerged as significant predictors of CY-BOCS total score., Conclusion: Addressing ToM, pragmatic, and ER difficulties when planning the treatment of young people with OCD may contribute to positive outcomes.

Objective: This study aimed to compare the attention levels, of Turkish children and adolescents with Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in on-line education classes with healthy controls., Methods: This study is a cross-sectional, internet-based, case-control study that recruited 6-18 years old patients diagnosed with ADHD and receving treatment and healthy controls from eight centers. The measurements used in the study were prepared in the google survey and delivered to the participants via Whatsapp application., Results: Within the study period, 510 children with ADHD and 893 controls were enrolled. Parent- rated attention decreased significantly in both groups during on-line education classes due to COVID-19 outbreak (p<0.001; for each). Children and adolescents with ADHD had significantly elevated bedtime resistance, problems in family functioning difficulties than control children according to parental reports (p=0.003; p<0.001; p<0.001, respectively). Furthermore, bedtime resistance and comorbidity significantly predicted attention levels in on-line education., Conclusion: Our findings may underline the need to augment student engagement in on-line education both for children without attention problems and those with ADHD. Interventions shown to be effective in the management of sleep difficulties in children as well as parent management interventions should continue during on-line education., Competing Interests: No conflict of interest was declared by the authors., (© Copyright 2023 by Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Health.)

Risk factors associated with antidepressant treatment-emergent mania(ATEM) are poorly characterized in child and adolescent populations. To identify better biomarkers, we aimed to explore whether thyroid autoimmunity is associated with ATEM in pediatric mood disorders. We enrolled two groups of pediatric mood disorders, those with ATEM+ (n = 29) and those with ATEM- controls (n = 31). All diagnoses were made according to structured interviews by the clinicians. Autoimmune thyroiditis (anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies [TPO-abs] and thyroid function (thyroid-stimulating hormone [TSH] and free thyroxin [FT4]) were assessed. Logistic regression was used to explore the relationship between TPO-abs seroprevalence and ATEM+ while controlling for covariates. Group comparisons showed that the patient with ATEM+ had significantly higher seroprevalence and titer of TPO-abs compared to ATEM- controls. In logistic regression analysis adjusting for age, gender, Tanner stage, body mass index, antipsychotic treatments, smoking status and family history of thyroid disorder, the seroprevalence of TPO-abs (>60 U/mL) was significantly associated with ATEM+ (OR = 3.67, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.2-11.1, p = 0.022). Our findings demonstrated that seroprevalence and titer of TPO-abs in pediatric mood disorders are associated with ATEM+ status. TPO-abs could potentially serve as a biomarker when assessing the risk of ATEM in the child and adolescent population., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Purpose: Binge eating disorder (BED) is characterized by frequent and persistent overeating episodes of binge eating without compensatory behaviors. The aim was to evaluate regional gray matter volume (GMV) abnormalities and appetite-regulating hormone levels (NPY and Leptin) in obese subjects either with or without BED compared to healthy controls (HC)., Methods: Twenty-six obese patients with BED, 25 obese patients without BED and 27 healthy subjects as an age-matched control group with neuroimaging and appetite-regulating hormone levels were found eligible for regional GMV abnormalities. A structural magnetic resonance scan and timely blood samples were drawn to assess the appetite-regulating hormone levels., Results: The BED obese patients had a greater GMVs of the right medial orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and the left medial OFC compared to the non-BED obese patients. BED patients were characterized by greater GMV of the left medial OFC than HCs. Relative to the HCs, higher serum NPY levels were found in BED obese and non-BED obese groups. Serum leptin levels (pg/mL) had positively correlations with GMV in right medial OFC, left medial OFC, right lateral OFC, and left anterior cingulate cortex., Conclusion: Among the reward processing network, which is largely associated with feeding behaviours in individuals with obesity and binge eating disorder, the OFC volumes was correlated with serum leptin concentrations. The results of our study may provide a rationale for exploring the link between regional grey matter volumes and appetite-related hormone levels in people with BED., Level of Evidence: Level III, case-control analytic study., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effects of drug holidays during summer vacations among children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who were treated with methylphenidate in terms of ADHD symptoms and executive functions., Methods: The study was a prospective cohort study that includes pre-treatment, post-treatment and post-drug holiday evaluations. ADHD symptom severity was evaluated with the Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI), the Conners' Parental Rating Scale-Short Form (CPRS) and the Conners' Teacher Rating Scale- Short Form (CTRS). The Stroop Color Word Test- TBAG Form (SCWT) was used to evaluate executive functions. Fifty-one patients participated in the study according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Methylphenidate (MPH) was started at 0.5 mg/kg/day and titrated weekly to a maximum of 1.2 mg/kg/day. During the follow-up period, 22 (43.0%) of the patients stopped treatment., Results: Completion times for all SCWT subtests were significantly reduced after treatment ( p  < 0.001, p  = 0.002, p  < 0.001, p  = 0.002, p  < 0.001; respectively). Mean number of corrections in SCWT-3 and mean number of errors as well as corrections in SCWT-5 significantly reduced after treatment ( p  = 0.047, p  = 0.005, p  = 0.007; respectively). Mean number of corrections in SCWT-3 and mean number of errors in SCWT-5 increased significantly after drug holiday compared to post-treatment ( p  = 0.032 and p  = 0.037; respectively)., Conclusion: Our results suggest that psychomotor speed and resistance to interference improved in children with ADHD receiving methylphenidate treatment. Drug holidays did not affect psychomotor speed while beneficial effects on resistance to interference were reduced with drug holidays.

Objective: Major depressive disorder (MDD) in adolescence is a prevalent mental health problem with a complex etiology and a rising incidence. The aim of the study investigated functioning of family, attitudes of parents, and peer victimization in adolescents with MDD and to compare those with healthy adolescents., Methods: The study was designed as a multi-center, cross-sectional, case-control study. 98 adolescents diagnosed with MDD and 99 healthy controls were recruited for the study. Beck depression inventory, parental attitude research instrument (PARI) tool, family assessment device (FAD), and multidimensional peer victimization scale (MPVS) were applied to all participants. Descriptive, correlational, and bivariate group comparisons were used in analyses., Results: The average ages of adolescents with MDD and control adolescents were 14.7 (S.D.=1.5) and 15.0 (S.D.=1.6) years, respectively. Females formed 74.5% of youth with MDD (vs. 70.3% of controls). The groups were similar in terms of socio-demographic features (all p>0.05). Adolescents with MDD had significantly elevated scores in FAD subscales except problem solving, PARI rejection of homemaking, marital conflict, and authoritarian subscales, and all MPVS subscales. Adolescents with MDD also displayed significant positive correlations between all MPVS subscales and FAD subscales except FAD problem-solving., Conclusion: This cross-sectional, multi-center study suggests that family dysfunction and peer victimization may be higher in youth with MDD. Although cross-sectional design precludes evaluation of causality, it may be prudent to evaluate family functions as well as peer victimization of depressed youth., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: No conflict of interest was declared by the authors., (Copyright: © 2021 by Istanbul Northern Anatolian Association of Public Hospitals.)

Introduction: Studies have suggested that attachment styles are associated with social anxiety disorder (SAD). Recent studies found that individuals with a diagnosis of SAD were significantly impaired relative to healthy controls on tasks of theory of mind (ToM). We aimed to investigate the association of ToM and attachment styles in adolescents diagnosed with SAD in this study., Methods: Drug-naïve 42 adolescents diagnosed with SAD and aged between 12 to 18, without psychiatric comorbidity were enrolled in the patient group. Forty-two adolescents in the same age range without any psychiatric disorders were matched as the healthy control group. The diagnosis was made by experienced clinicians using the Kiddie and Young Adult Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia Present and Lifetime Version and diagnostic criteria of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition. The severity of SAD symptoms was evaluated with the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents. ToM was evaluated with Reading the Mind in the Eyes task and faces test. Parent and Peer Attachment Inventory was used for assessing attachment properties., Results: Adolescents with SAD compared to healthy control groups have more difficulties both in Reading the Mind in the Eyes task and faces test. We found a statistically significant decrease in peer and parent attachment scores when compared with SAD and healthy controls (p<0.05). A negative correlation between the severity of SAD and both ToM tasks and attachment has been found., Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that ToM deficits and insecure attachment style may play an important role in the etiology and treatment of SAD in adolescents., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: No conflict of interest was declared by the authors., (Copyright: © 2020 Turkish Neuropsychiatric Society.)

Aim: To examine theeffects on the brain of 2-month treatment withamethylphenidate extended-release formulation (OROS-MPH) using [Tc- 99m ] TRODAT-1SPECT in a sample of treatment-naïve adolescents with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In addition, to assess whether risk alleles (homozygosity for 10-repeat allele at the DAT1 gene were associated with alterations in striatal DAT availability., Methods: Twenty adolescents with ADHD underwent brain single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scans with [Tc- 99m ] TRODAT-1 at baseline and two months after starting OROS-MPH treatment with dosages up to 1 mg/kg/day. Severity of illness was estimated using the Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI-S) and DuPaul ADHD Rating Scale-Clinician version (ARS) before treatment,1 month and 2 months after initiating OROS-MPH treatment., Results: Decreased DAT availability was found in both the right caudate (pretreatment DAT binding: 224.76 ± 33.77, post-treatment DAT binding: 208.86 ± 28.75, p = 0.02) and right putamen (pre-treatment DAT binding: 314.41 ± 55.24, post-treatment DAT binding: 285.66 ± 39.20, p = 0.05) in adolescents with ADHD receiving OROS-MPH treatment. Adolescents with ADHD who showed a robust response to OROS-MPH (n = 7) had significantly greater reduction of DAT density in the right putamen than adolescents who showed less robust response to OROS-MPH (n = 13) (p = 0.02). However, between-group differences by treatment responses were not related with DAT density in the right caudate. Risk alleles (homozygosity for the 10-repeat allele of DAT1 gene) in the DAT1 gene were not associated with alterations in striatal DAT availability., Conclusion: Two months of OROS-MPH treatment decreased DAT availability in both the right caudate and putamen. Adolescents with ADHD who showed a robust response to OROS-MPH had greater reduction of DAT density in the right putamen. However,our findings did not support an association between homozygosity for a 10-repeat allele in the DAT1 gene and DAT density, assessedusing[Tc- 99m ] TRODAT-1SPECT., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is an important neurotrophin in the brain that modulates dopaminergic neurons. In this study, we aimed to investigate the changes in serum BDNF levels of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in response to OROS methylphenidate treatment. We also aimed to determine whether there were any pre-post-differences between ADHD subtypes and comorbid psychiatric disorders in serum BDNF levels. Fifty male children with ADHD and 50 male healthy controls within the age range of 6-12 years were recruited to the study. The psychiatric diagnoses were determined by applying a structured interview with Kiddie schedule for affective disorders and schizophrenia for school-age children-present and lifetime version. The symptom severity of ADHD was measured using the Clinical Global Impression ADHD Severity Scale (CGI-S). Physicians completed Du Paul ADHD questionnaires. The levels of serum BDNF were assessed before and after 8 weeks of treatment with effective dosages of OROS methylphenidate. In the present study, the mean serum BDNF levels of boys with ADHD and of the healthy controls were 2626.33 ± 1528.05 and 2989.11 ± 1420.08 pg/mL, respectively. Although there were no statistically significant difference between the ADHD group and healthy controls at baseline (p = 0.22), the increase of serum BDNF was statistically significant from baseline to endpoint in the ADHD group (p = 0.04). The mean serum BDNF levels at baseline and endpoint of the ADHD group were 2626.33 ± 1528.05 and 3255.80 ± 1908.79 pg/mL, respectively. The serum BDNF levels of ADHD-inattentive subtype were significantly lower at baseline (p = 0.02), whereas BDNF levels post-treatment showed no significant difference. The increase of serum BDNF levels with methylphenidate treatment after 8 weeks was significantly higher in the inattentive group (p = 0.005). The increase of serum BDNF levels with methylphenidate treatment after 8 weeks in boys with ADHD may support the potential role of BDNF in the pathophysiology of ADHD. The role of BDNF in ADHD subtypes in particular should be evaluated with further, larger studies.

Objective: The goal of this study was to investigate depression and anxiety levels of mothers whose child (7-11 years) and adolescent (12-18 years) offspring had obesity, as well as those mothers' attitudes toward their children and their family relationships., Method: This is a cross-sectional, case-control study of 100 dyads. All mothers completed the Beck Depression Inventory, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Parental Attitude Research Instrument, and the Family Assessment Device., Results: Maternal state anxiety in the group with obesity was significantly higher than controls (p = 0.03). As measured by Family Assessment Device, affective involvement (p = 0.05) and behavior control (p = 0.00) scores were significantly higher for those with obesity. Obesity and adolescence have independent effects on maternal state anxiety; affective involvement domain of family function is affected by both obesity and its interaction with adolescence, while behavior control domain is singularly affected by obesity., Conclusions: Our results may demonstrate that, for the mothers of children who have obesity, this condition may have an adverse effect on their lives and their family relationships. Pediatric obesity and developmental stage of offspring may have different effects on maternally reported psychometric variables. Cross-sectional design may hinder causal explanations. Further studies with longitudinal designs are needed., (© The Author(s) 2015.)

Background: Although abnormalities in the regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) responses to methylphenidate (MPH) treatment have been reported in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), there are few prospective longitudinal studies assessing the long-term effects of MPH and discontinuation effects after chronic treatment., Methods: The authors studied ten drug-naive children (2 girls, 8 boys, mean age+/-S.D.=9.60+/-1.96) diagnosed with ADHD by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) diagnostic criteria, using (99m)Tc-HMPAO-single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Patients were studied at baseline (visit 1), after 2 months of MPH treatment (visit 2) and after a drug-free period of 2 months following 12 months of MPH treatment (visit 3) at doses of 1 mg/kg/day. We evaluated SPECT data visually and semi-quantitatively., Results: Two months of chronic MPH treatment resulted in visually detectable improvement in hypoperfusion in the right frontal cortex and all areas of temporal cortex with the exception of left lateral temporal cortex. This improvement was still detectable on visual evaluations of SPECT data after 2 months of treatment discontinuation. The treatment effects that were detected visually were not statistically significant in semi-quantitative analyses., Conclusions: Treatment effects of chronic MPH treatment may persist long after the discontinuation of the treatment.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate the psychological profile of mothers of children with strabismus, their attitudes to their children, and their family functioning., Methods: This study was conducted at Dokuz Eylül University School of Medicine, from 2000 to 2002 and involved a series of 30 children with strabismus and 31 healthy controls. All mothers were asked to complete Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Parental Attitude Research Instrument (PARI), and Family Assessment Device (FAD)., Results: Mothers of the children with strabismus had significantly higher depression scores ( P = 0.042) compared with mothers of the control group. They demonstrated significantly lower scores in democratic attitude, meaning that they failed to constitute a supportive and friendship relation with their children, ( P = 0.0001). These mothers had significantly higher scores in rejection of maternal role ( P = 0.017) as compared with mothers of the control group. They were nervous, distressed, and angry in the relationship with their children, with unhappiness and more dissatisfaction with respect to maternal role. Mothers of the children with strabismus had poor role functioning in the family, which is related to satisfying the food, clothing, and support needs ( P = 0.034). They also had poor affective responsiveness, which means the ability of family members to respond with appropriate emotion ( P = 0.003), and poor general functioning ( P = 0.040) as compared with mothers of the control group., Conclusions: This study demonstrated that, for mothers who have children with strabismus, strabismus had an adverse effect on their lives, and their family relationships.

We aimed to evaluate the effect of chronic hepatitis B virus infection on the psychological state of children. Children who were carriers of hepatitis B virus (n:20) and those with chronic hepatitis B virus infection (n:20) for at least one year formed study Groups 1 and 2, respectively. Healthy children with similar demographic characteristics (n:43) were enrolled as the control group. The "Children's Depression Inventory" and "State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children" were used for the assessment of the extent of depression and anxiety, respectively. Then, mean depression and anxiety scores of the study and control groups were compared. In addition, the children in each group were further evaluated for depression and anxiety with respect to gender and age as prepubertal and postpubertal. The mean depression and anxiety scores of study Groups 1 and 2 and of the control group were 8.35 +/- 5.6, 8.22 +/- 6.85, 9.12 +/- 5.2 (depression scores) and 32.7 +/- 6.85, 33.4 +/- 10 and 34 +/- 6.5 (anxiety scores), respectively. These three groups did not differ significantly from each other with respect to anxiety and depression scores (p>0.05). Athough there was no child with overt depression (with a depression score over 19) in study Group 2, two children in study Group 1 and one child in the control group were determined to be in overt depression. Children with chronic hepatitis B virus infection were not different with respect to depression and anxiety from children who were carriers of hepatitis B virus nor from the healthy controls.