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

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.