ADHD medication and vascular inflammation in children

Treatment with methylphenidate (MPH) is standard care in ADHD with increased blood pressure as a common side effect.

Our previous study showed that children with ADHD, especially those on MPH, had blood marker levels that indicated vascular wall inflammation. It is unknown if reported elevated metabolic and hypertensive risks in ADHD are due to medication.

This makes it paramount to confirm whether MPH causes vascular inflammation that couples to microvascular dysfunction in children with ADHD, and identify ways to counteract it.

Our preliminary results propose that dietary short-chain fatty acids (eg propionate) can reduce this vascular inflammation.

We hypothesize that MPH use and poor dietary habits render the vascular endothelium vulnerable to inflammation that may alter the endothelial function and potentially the blood-brain barrier integrity.We will perform a clinical observational cohort study following treatment-naïve children with ADHD over 1.5-years, both those initiating MPH medication and those that do not.

To ordinary clinical follow-ups we will add the examinations blood sampling and non-invasively monitoring of fingertip microvascular function. For mechanistic support we will study human brain microvascular cells in vitro. Project feasibility in 3-years is high as the infrastructure and much data are in place.

Confirmation of vascular effects will have implications for adjuvant treatment in ADHD as dietary recommendations can be given to children at risk.