Elevated serum glycogen synthase kinase-3β and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder

Jun 11, 2026Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry

Higher blood levels of a key enzyme and growth protein in children with obsessive-compulsive disorder

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Abstract

Serum GSK-3β and BDNF levels were significantly higher in children with OCD than in healthy controls.

The study included 102 children aged 9-18 years, with 51 diagnosed with OCD and 51 healthy controls.
Serum β-catenin levels did not differ between the OCD group and healthy controls.
Positive correlations were found between β-catenin and GSK-3β, GSK-3β and hs-CRP, and BDNF and hs-CRP within the OCD group.
These findings suggest a potential link between neuroinflammatory processes and pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder.

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OBJECTIVES: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a multifactorial condition in which inflammation is increasingly implicated. The WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway, involved in inflammatory regulation and circadian mechanisms, may be altered in OCD. This study aimed to investigate serum β-catenin, glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in children with OCD, their associations with inflammatory markers interleukin-6 (IL-6) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and their relationships with OCD severity and sleep-wake chronotype.

METHODS: The sample included 102 children aged 9-18 years: 51 with OCD and 51 age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy controls. All participants were medication- and psychotherapy-naïve and had no comorbid psychiatric or chronic medical conditions.

RESULTS: Serum GSK-3β and BDNF levels were significantly higher in the OCD group, and these differences remained significant after adjustment for age, sex, and body mass index percentile. Serum β-catenin, IL-6, and hs-CRP levels did not differ between groups. Within the OCD group, positive correlations were observed between β-catenin and GSK-3β, GSK-3β and hs-CRP, and BDNF and hs-CRP.

CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to evaluate serum β-catenin and GSK-3β levels in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder. Elevated GSK-3β and BDNF levels, along with their observed associations with inflammatory markers, may reflect a possible role of neuroinflammatory processes in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder.

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Elevated serum glycogen synthase kinase-3β and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder

Abstract

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