Anne Halmøy

Followers

Following

Co-authors

Public Views

Roe Fremstedal

Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Armando Marques-Guedes

UNL - New University of Lisbon

Viacheslav Kuleshov

Stockholm University

Ruth Kara-Ivanov Kaniel

Haifa University

Josep Aguiló-Regla

University of Alicante / Universidad de Alicante

Fulya Sarper

Gazi University

Felix Ankel

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Yoshikazu Ugawa

FMU

David Schanzlin

University of California, San Diego

Felicia Fai

University of Bath

Interests

Uploads

Papers by Anne Halmøy

Health Care Services for Adults With ADHD: Patient Satisfaction and the Role of Psycho-Education

Journal of Attention Disorders, 2015

To evaluate health care experiences of adults with ADHD and to identify predictors for patient sa... more To evaluate health care experiences of adults with ADHD and to identify predictors for patient satisfaction. Multisite, questionnaire-based survey in a cohort of adult patients diagnosed and treated for ADHD in the Bergen area of Western Norway between 2005 and 2011. Among the 171 included patients, only 61 (35.7%) reported being satisfied to a large or very large extent with the received health care. The strongest predictor for overall satisfaction, independent of duration, medication, and reported outcome of treatment, was whether they were satisfied with the information they had received from clinicians regarding ADHD and treatment options. Patients who reported that they had been offered other treatments in addition to pharmacotherapy were generally more satisfied. Our results emphasize the importance of consistent information routines as part of ADHD management. More teaching and training about ADHD for clinicians working in adult psychiatric health services may be needed.

Serum concentrations of kynurenines in adult patients with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): a case–control study

Behavioral and Brain Functions, 2015

The essential amino acid tryptophan is catabolised mainly through the kynurenine pathway. Altered... more The essential amino acid tryptophan is catabolised mainly through the kynurenine pathway. Altered circulating levels of kynurenines have been reported in chronic inflammatory conditions and in several neuropsychiatric disorders, including depression and schizophrenia. Candidate gene studies suggest that genes related to the kynurenine catabolism may be associated with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Additionally, ADHD patients often report comorbid depression or anxiety. In this study we investigated serum levels of kynurenines in Norwegian adult ADHD patients and adult controls. We compared serum levels of tryptophan and the seven tryptophan metabolites kynurenine, kynurenic acid, anthranilic acid, 3-hydroxykynurenine, xanthurenic acid, 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid and quinolinic acid in 133 adult patients with ADHD and 131 adult controls (18-40 years). Riboflavin (vitamin B2), total vitamin B6 and the nicotine metabolite cotinine were also measured. Serum samples were analysed using mass spectrometry. Patients and controls reported comorbid disorders and past (childhood) and current ADHD symptoms using the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS) and the Adult ADHD Self-report Scale (ASRS). Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios for having an ADHD diagnosis for different serum levels of each metabolite. In addition, we used Spearman&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s correlation analysis to investigate the correlation between serum levels of tryptophan and kynurenines and ADHD symptom scores. Lower serum concentrations of tryptophan [odds ratio 0.61 (95 % confidence interval 0.45-0.83)], kynurenic acid [0.73 (0.53-0.99)], xanthurenic acid [0.65 (0.48-0.89)] and 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid [0.63 (0.46-0.85)], and higher levels of cotinine [7.17 (4.37-12.58)], were significantly associated with ADHD. After adjusting for tryptophan levels, only 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid and cotinine remained significant. Lower levels of tryptophan and kynurenine were also found to be correlated with higher total ASRS score and higher total WURS score, when adjusting for smoking and age. Our results suggest that there may be differences in serum levels of tryptophan and kynurenines between adult ADHD patients and adult controls. Although our findings do not suggest a chronic immune activation in ADHD, the underlying mechanisms and possible clinical implications of the differences should be further explored.

On the role of NOS1 ex1f-VNTR in ADHD-allelic, subgroup, and meta-analysis

American journal of medical genetics. Part B, Neuropsychiatric genetics : the official publication of the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics, Jan 18, 2015

Attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a heritable neurodevelopmental disorder featu... more Attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a heritable neurodevelopmental disorder featuring complex genetics with common and rare variants contributing to disease risk. In a high proportion of cases, ADHD does not remit during adolescence but persists into adulthood. Several studies suggest that NOS1, encoding nitric oxide synthase I, producing the gaseous neurotransmitter NO, is a candidate gene for (adult) ADHD. We here extended our analysis by increasing the original sample, adding two further samples from Norway and Spain, and conducted subgroup and co-morbidity analysis. Our previous finding held true in the extended sample, and also meta-analysis demonstrated an association of NOS1 ex1f-VNTR short alleles with adult ADHD (aADHD). Association was restricted to females, as was the case in the discovery sample. Subgroup analysis on the single allele level suggested that the 21-repeat allele caused the association. Regarding subgroups, we found that NOS1 was associated w...

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms in offspring of mothers with impaired serotonin production

Archives of general psychiatry, 2010

Exposure to adverse events during prenatal and postnatal development, as well as serotonin defici... more Exposure to adverse events during prenatal and postnatal development, as well as serotonin deficiency, have been implicated in disturbances of mood and impulsivity, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. To investigate the long-term effects of an impaired serotonin synthesis on the developing human brain, we studied the effects of nonsynonymous mutations affecting tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) enzymes responsible for serotonin production in maternal reproductive tissues (TPH1) and the brain (TPH2). Family-based case-control and functional studies of candidate genes. Adult outpatients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), their family members, and random control subjects were recruited across Norway. Nine pedigrees with TPH1 and TPH2 mutation carriers were identified among 459 patients with ADHD and 187 controls. The TPH genes were then sequenced in 97 additional family members, and information about psychiatric diagnoses and symptoms was obtained from 606 controls...

Decreased serum levels of adiponectin in adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Psychiatry Research, 2014

The main aim of this study was to investigate serum levels of adiponectin in adult patients with ... more The main aim of this study was to investigate serum levels of adiponectin in adult patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The second objective was to examine the effects of rare missense mutations in T-cadherin, an adiponectin receptor encoded by the ADHD candidate gene CDH13, on serum adiponectin levels. Total and high molecular weight (HMW) adiponectin levels were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 44 patients and 29 controls. We found decreased serum adiponectin levels in ADHD patients. In a logistic regression model, adjusting for confounding by age, body mass index, and gender, HMW adiponectin and its ratio to total adiponectin were significantly associated with ADHD. In partial correlations, HMW adiponectin and its ratio to total adiponectin were significantly inversely correlated with self-reported psychiatric symptomatology. A non significant trend for higher levels of total adiponectin was observed in patients carrying CDH13 missense mutations compared to patients with wild type CDH13. The association of CDH13 mutations with adiponectin levels should be investigated in larger studies. This study shows that ADHD patients have decreased serum adiponectin levels, which are inversely correlated to psychiatric symptoms, suggesting a possible involvement of adiponectin, in particular the HMW form, in the pathophysiology of ADHD.

Anne Halmøy

Uploads

Papers by Anne Halmøy

Log In