Evaluation of the relationship between sensory profile, pain and nocieptin levels in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

In our study, it was planned to compare the nociceptin levels, sensory profile and perceived pain intensity of cases diagnosed with ADHD with children without any psychopathology and to evaluate the relationship between perceived pain intensity and nociceptin levels. As far as is known, although there are studies in the literature evaluating the sensory profile in children diagnosed with ADHD, there is no study that associates sensory changes with any mediator. Our study aimed to obtain data on the blood nociceptin levels of the participants and to determine the differences in nociceptin levels and sensory profiles between the groups, the relationship between ADHD type and nociceptin levels and the relationship between sensory sensitivity and nociceptin levels. Children between the ages of 6-12 who were diagnosed with ADHD or who did not have any psychopathology after applying to the child psychiatry clinic were included in our study. The criterion for children included in the ADHD group was that they had not used any psychopharmacological agents for ADHD. In order to evaluate blood nociceptin levels, 2 ml of peripheral blood samples were taken after two hours of fasting using appropriate kits and in accordance with the kit leaflet. The caregivers of the participants who met the inclusion criteria were given Dunn Sensory Profile and The Conners's Parent Rating Scale-Revised Short Form and were asked to fill out the scales under the supervision of the researcher. Nociceptin levels were found to be 316.44 ± 179.93 ng/L in the case group and 249.67 ± 112.27 ng/L in the control group, and this value was found to be significantly higher in the case group. No relationship was established between nociceptin levels and ADHD manifestations. No significant difference was found between the case and control groups in the VAS result performed after blood collection. Child pain score and parent pain score were moderately positively correlated. Differences were found between the case and control groups in the sensory quadrants of the Dunn sensory profile.