Saturday 10 December 2011

ADHD - Four Genes Linked To The Disorder


Four gene variants, all members of the glutamate receptor gene family, appear to be involved in vital brain signaling pathways in a sub-set of children with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), researchers from the Center for Applied Genomics at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia reported in the journal Nature Genetics. The authors add that their findings could help create drugs that target those pathways, offering potential therapies for ADHD patients with those specific gene variants. There are an estimated half-a-million American children with ADHD and these gene variants.

Study leader Hakon Hakonarson, M.D., Ph.D., said:

"At least 10 percent of the ADHD patients in our sample have these particular genetic variants. The genes involved affect neurotransmitter systems in the brain that have been implicated in ADHD, and we now have a genetic explanation for this link that applies to a subset of children with the disorder."

ADHD is fairly common and tends to run in families

ADHD, which is thought to affect about 7% of kids of school age and a smaller percentage of adults, is a complex neuropsychiatric disorder. ADHD has several subtypes, with varying symptoms that may include short attention span, impulsivity, and overactivity.

ADHD tends to run in families, nobody is sure what causes it - scientists and experts believe it is mainly caused by many genes which interact in certain ways. Although drugs are frequently prescribed for ADHD, they do not always work, especially if symptoms are severe.

The researchers carried out a study involving 1,000 kids with ADHD from a database at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; they were compared with 4,100 others of the same age who did not have ADHD (controls). They did whole-genome analyses of all of them.

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