Letter to the Editor Letter to the Editor: The change of the cortisol levels in children with ADHD treated by methylphenidate or atomoxetine

摘要

To the Editor Up to date, the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis has been studied mostly in the endocrine axes. Under normal conditions, the hypothalamus corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) at the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus is secreted mostly into the hypophyseal portal circulation. Through the anterior pituitary, CRH induces the adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) reseasing, making glucocorticoid elevated and participating in a series of behavioral responses, such as enhancing the status of alertness, attention, learning and memory ability (Biondi and Picardi, 1999). Recently, some researches found the fact that children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) had an underreactivity of the HPA axis when exposed to stress, and the low reactions, which was closely related to the behavior of children with ADHD (Blomqvist et al., 2007; van West et al., 2009).