Telomere Length and Symptoms of Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder in Children at 6

Abstract

Objective:

To explore the association between telomere length (TL) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in children at 6–12 years.

Method:

Data from 1,759 children belonging to the HELIX project cohorts and the Asturias, Gipuzkoa and Valencia cohorts of INMA project were included. TL was determined by blood sample using a PCR protocol. ADHD symptoms were described by parents using the Conners’ Parent Rating Scale-Revised: Short Form. Multiple negative binomial regression models adjusted for potential confounders were used to estimate associations.

Results:

Overall estimates showed no associations between TL and ADHD symptoms. However, we observed that a longer TL was significantly associated with a lower risk of presenting hyperactivity symptoms in children belonging to the HELIX project (IRR = 0.93, 95% CI [0.87, 0.99]; p = .022).

Conclusion:

While our study did not find a consistent association between TL and ADHD symptoms across all cohorts, the significant association found within the HELIX cohort suggests that longer TL may be linked to a lower risk of hyperactivity symptoms. Further research is needed to explore this association in more detail.

Keywords

telomere length attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder neurodevelopment children

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Alvarez-Arellano

González-García

Salazar-García

Corona

J. C.

(2020). Antioxidants as a potential target against inflammation and oxidative stress in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland), 9(2), 176. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox9020176

Aubert

Baerlocher

G. M.

Vulto

Poon

S. S.

Lansdorp

P. M.

(2012). Collapse of telomere homeostasis in hematopoietic cells caused by heterozygous mutations in telomerase genes. PLoS Genetics, 8(5), e1002696. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1002696

Baroni

Castellanos

F. X.

(2015). Neuroanatomic and cognitive abnormalities in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in the era of “high definition” neuroimaging. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 30, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conb.2014.08.005

Blackburn

E. H.

Epel

E. S.

Lin

(2015). Human telomere biology: A contributory and interactive factor in aging, disease risks, and protection. Science, 350(6265), 1193–1198. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aab3389

Cao

Hou

(2023). Leucocyte telomere length, brain volume and risk of dementia: A prospective cohort study. General Psychiatry, 36(4), e101120. https://doi.org/10.1136/gpsych-2023-101120

Cawthon

(2009) Telomere length measurement by a novel monochrome multiplex quantitative PCR method. Nucleic Acids Research, 37(3), e21. https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkn1027

Cole

J. H.

Marioni

R. E.

Harris

S. E.

Deary

I. J.

(2019). Brain age and other bodily “ages”: Implications for neuropsychiatry. Molecular Psychiatry, 24(2), 2. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-018-0098-1

Conners

C. K.

(1997). Conner’s Rating Scales-Revised User’s Manual. Multi-Health Systems.

Corona

J. C.

(2020). Role of oxidative stress and neuroinflammation in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland), 9(11), 1039. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox9111039

10.

Correia-Melo

Hewitt

Passos

J. F.

(2014). Telomeres, oxidative stress and inflammatory factors: Partners in cellular senescence? Longevity & Healthspan, 3, 1. https://doi.org/10.1186/2046-2395-3-1

11.

Costa

Rosa

D. V. F.

Barros

A. G. A.

Romano-Silva

M. A.

Malloy-Diniz

L. F.

Mattos

de Miranda

D. M.

(2015). Telomere length is highly inherited and associated with hyperactivity-impulsivity in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, 8, 28. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnmol.2015.00028

12.

Darrow

S. M.

Verhoeven

J. E.

Révész

Lindqvist

Penninx

B. W. J. H.

Delucchi

K. L.

Wolkowitz

O. M.

Mathews

C. A.

(2016). The association between psychiatric disorders and telomere length: A meta-analysis involving 14,827 persons. Psychosomatic Medicine, 78(7), 776–787. https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0000000000000356

13.

De Meyer

Nawrot

Bekaert

De Buyzere

M. L.

Rietzschel

E. R.

Andrés

(2018). Telomere length as cardiovascular aging biomarker: JACC review topic of the week. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 72(7), 805–813. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2018.06.014

14.

Demanelis

Jasmine

Chen

L. S.

Chernoff

Tong

Delgado

Zhang

Shinkle

Sabarinathan

Lin

Ramirez

Oliva

Kim-Hellmuth

Stranger

B. E.

Lai

T.-P.

Aviv

Ardlie

K. G.

Aguet

Ahsan

. . . Pierce

B. L.

(2020). Determinants of telomere length across human tissues. Science, 369(6509), eaaz6876. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaz6876

15.

Doernberg

Hollander

(2016). Neurodevelopmental disorders (ASD and ADHD): DSM-5, ICD-10, and ICD-11. CNS Spectrums, 21(4), 295–299. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1092852916000262

16.

Gampawar

Schmidt

(2022). Telomere length and brain aging: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Ageing Research Reviews, 80, 101679. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2022.101679

17.

Gorenjak

Petrelis

A. M.

Stathopoulou

M. G.

Visvikis-Siest

(2020). Telomere length determinants in childhood. Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, 58(2), 162–177. https://doi.org/10.1515/cclm-2019-0235

18.

Guxens

Ballester

Espada

Fernández

M. F.

Grimalt

J. O.

Ibarluzea

Olea

Rebagliato

Tardón

Torrent

Vioque

Vrijheid

Sunyer

, & INMA Project. (2012). Cohort profile: The INMA—INfancia y Medio Ambiente—(environment and childhood) project. International Journal of Epidemiology, 41(4), 930–940. https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyr054

19.

Howell

M. P.

Jones

C. W.

Herman

C. A.

Mayne

C. V.

Fernandez

Theall

K. P.

Esteves

K. C.

Drury

S. S.

(2022). Impact of prenatal tobacco smoking on infant telomere length trajectory and ADHD symptoms at 18 months: A longitudinal cohort study. BMC Medicine, 20(1), 153. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-022-02340-1

20.

Lewis

C. R.

Taguinod

Jepsen

W. M.

Cohen

Agrawal

Huentelman

M. J.

Smith

C. J.

Ringenbach

S. D. R.

Braden

B. B.

(2020). Telomere length and autism spectrum disorder within the family: Relationships with cognition and sensory symptoms. Autism Research, 13(7), 1094–1101. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2307

21.

Tang

Chen

Liao

Wei

Wan

Xiang

Xia

Chen

(2014). Shorter telomere length in peripheral blood leukocytes is associated with childhood autism. Scientific Reports, 4, 7073. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep07073

22.

Lindrose

A. R.

McLester-Davis

L. W. Y.

Tristano

R. I.

Kataria

Gadalla

S. M.

Eisenberg

D. T. A.

Verhulst

Drury

(2021). Method comparison studies of telomere length measurement using qPCR approaches: A critical appraisal of the literature. PLoS One, 16(1), e0245582. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245582

23.

López-Otín

Blasco

M. A.

Partridge

Serrano

Kroemer

(2013). The hallmarks of aging. Cell, 153(6), 1194–1217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2013.05.039

24.

Martens

D. S.

Janssen

B. G.

Bijnens

E. M.

Clemente

D. B. P.

Vineis

Plusquin

Nawrot

T. S.

(2020). Association of parental socioeconomic status and newborn telomere length. JAMA Network Open, 3(5), e204057. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.4057

25.

Momany

A. M.

Lussier

Nikolas

M. A.

Stevens

(2021). Telomere length and ADHD symptoms in young adults. Journal of Attention Disorders, 25(7), 906–919. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054719865776

26.

Nettle

Seeker

Nussey

Froy

Bateson

(2019). Consequences of measurement error in qPCR telomere data: A simulation study. PLoS One, 14(5), e0216118. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0216118

27.

Njajou

O. T.

Hsueh

W.-C.

Blackburn

E. H.

Newman

A. B.

S.-H.

Simonsick

E. M.

Harris

T. M.

Cummings

S. R.

Cawthon

R. M.

Health ABC Study. (2009). Association between telomere length, specific causes of death, and years of healthy life in health, aging, and body composition, a population-based cohort study. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, 64A(8), 860–864. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glp061

28.

Pham

Vryer

O’Hely

Mansell

Burgner

Collier

Symeonides

Tang

M. L. K.

Vuillermin

Gray

Saffery

Ponsonby

A.-L.

, & On Behalf Of The Barwon Infant Study Investigator Group. (2022). Shortened infant telomere length is associated with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms in children at age two years: A birth cohort study. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(9), 4601. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23094601

29.

Rentscher

K. E.

Carroll

J. E.

Mitchell

(2020). Psychosocial stressors and telomere length: A current review of the science. Annual Review of Public Health, 41, 223–245. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-040119-094239

30.

Salari

Ghasemi

Abdoli

Rahmani

Shiri

M. H.

Hashemian

A. H.

Akbari

Mohammadi

(2023). The global prevalence of ADHD in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Italian Journal of Pediatrics, 49(1), 48. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13052-023-01456-1

31.

Scarabino

Peconi

Broggio

Gambina

Maggi

Armeli

Mantuano

Morello

Corbo

R. M.

Businaro

(2020). Relationship between proinflammatory cytokines (Il-1beta, Il-18) and leukocyte telomere length in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. Experimental Gerontology, 136, 110945. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exger.2020.110945

32.

Turner

K. J.

Vasu

Griffin

D. K.

(2019). Telomere biology and human phenotype. Cells, 8(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells8010073

33.

Vázquez-González

Carreón-Trujillo

Alvarez-Arellano

Abarca-Merlin

D. M.

Domínguez-López

Salazar-García

Corona

J. C.

(2023). A potential role for neuroinflammation in ADHD. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, 1411, 327–356. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-7376-5_15

34.

Verhulst

(2020). Improving comparability between qPCR-based telomere studies. Molecular Ecology Resources, 20(1), 11–13. https://doi.org/10.1111/1755-0998.13114

35.

Vrijheid

Slama

Robinson

Chatzi

Coen

van den

H. P.

Thomsen

Wright

Athersuch

T. J.

Avellana

Basagaña

Brochot

Bucchini

Bustamante

Carracedo

Casas

Estivill

Fairley

van Gent

. . . Nieuwenhuijsen

M. J.

(2014). The human early-life exposome (HELIX): Project rationale and design. Environmental Health Perspectives, 122(6), 535–544. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1307204

36.

Wang

Zhan

Pedersen

N. L.

Fang

Hägg

(2018). Telomere length and all-cause mortality: A meta-analysis. Ageing Research Reviews, 48, 11–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2018.09.002

37.

Wanni Arachchige Dona

Badloe

Sciberras

Gold

Coghill

H. N. D.

(2023). The impact of childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) on children’s health-related quality of life: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Attention Disorders, 27(6), 598–611. https://doi.org/10.1177/10870547231155438

38.

Wentzensen

I. M.

Mirabello

Pfeiffer

R. M.

Savage

S. A.

(2011). The association of telomere length and cancer: A meta-analysis. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention: A Publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, Cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology, 20(6), 1238–1250. https://doi.org/10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-11-0005

39.

Wojcicki

J. M.

Heyman

M. B.

Elwan

Shiboski

Lin

Blackburn

Epel

(2015). Telomere length is associated with oppositional defiant behavior and maternal clinical depression in Latino preschool children. Translational Psychiatry, 5(6), e581. https://doi.org/10.1038/tp.2015.71

40.

Zhan

Song

Karlsson

Tillander

Reynolds

C. A.

Pedersen

N. L.

Hägg

(2015). Telomere length shortening and Alzheimer disease—A Mendelian randomization study. JAMA Neurology, 72(10), 1202–1203. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaneurol.2015.1513

41.

Zhang

Rane

Dai

Shanmugam

M. K.

Arfuso

Samy

R. P.

Lai

M. K. P.

Kappei

Kumar

A. P.

Sethi

(2016). Ageing and the telomere connection: An intimate relationship with inflammation. Ageing Research Reviews, 25, 55–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2015.11.006

Telomere Length and Symptoms of Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder in Children at 6–12 Years

Abstract

Objective:

Method:

Results:

Conclusion:

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References