Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: BACKGROUND: This study examined cingulin and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in children with specific learning disorder (SLD) to explore their association with inflammation and tight junction-related barrier biological processes in the context of the disorder. METHODS: The research compared 40 children with SLD and 41 healthy peers using a cross-sectional, case-controlled design. Serum cingulin and IL-6 levels were measured using the ELISA method. The Mathematics, Reading and Writing Assessment Scale (MOYA) teacher and parent forms were applied to evaluate disease severity in the SLD group. RESULTS: Both cingulin and IL-6 levels were significantly higher in the SLD group than in the controls (p = 0.005 and p = 0.009, respectively). These differences maintained their significance during covariance analysis. These findings indicate a significant group-related difference in cingulin and IL-6 levels, and that this was independent of age, gender and body mass index. A positive correlation was determined between cingulin and IL-6 in the SLD group (r = 0.472, p = 0.020). In the context of logistic regression analysis, cingulin demonstrated an independent association with the presence of SLD (OR = 1.006, p = 0.041), while IL-6 did not. An AUC value of 0.679 was calculated for cingulin at receiver operating characteristic analysis (p = 0.003). CONCLUSION: Elevated serum cingulin and IL-6 levels in children with SLD may reflect inflammatory activity and barrier-related biological processes associated with the disorder. These findings should be interpreted as preliminary and require confirmation in larger, longitudinal studies incorporating direct assessments of barrier function.
DOI: 10.1002/jdn.70104
Authors: Orhan Kocaman, Erkan Maytalman
Institution: Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat Üniversitesi
Language: English
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7127968499