Post by Amtram on Mar 1, 2014 15:51:43 GMT -5
Thanks to Joanna Martin for permission to share this - it's her PhD paper entitled "Genetic Risk for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Contributes to Neurodevelopmental Traits in the General Population" and you can find the full text here. To give you some idea of the topic, here's the abstract:
I hope she goes on and finds wonderful, robust evidence that will help us in the future!
Abstract
Background
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can be viewed as the extreme end of traits in the general population. Epidemiological and twin studies also suggest that ADHD frequently co-occurs with and shares genetic susceptibility with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)/ASD-related traits. The aims of this study were to determine whether a composite of common molecular genetic variants, previously found to be associated with clinically-diagnosed ADHD, predicts ADHD and ASD-related traits in the general population.
Method
Polygenic risk scores were calculated in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) population sample (N=8,229), based on a discovery case-control genome-wide association study of childhood ADHD. Regression analyses were used to assess whether polygenic scores predicted ADHD traits and also ASD-related measures (pragmatic language abilities and social cognition) in ALSPAC. Polygenic scores were also compared in males and females endorsing any (≥1) ADHD item (N=3,623).
Results
ADHD polygenic risk showed a positive association with ADHD (hyperactive-impulsive: p=0.0039; inattentive: p=0.037) traits. ADHD polygenic risk was also negatively associated with pragmatic language abilities (p=0.037), but not with social cognition (p=0.43). In children with a rating ≥1 for ADHD traits, females had a higher polygenic score than males (p=0.003).
Conclusions
These findings provide molecular genetic evidence that risk alleles for the categorical disorder of ADHD influence hyperactive-impulsive and attentional traits in the general population. The results further suggest that common genetic variation that contributes to ADHD diagnosis may also influence ASD-related traits, which at their extreme are a characteristic feature of ASD.
Background
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can be viewed as the extreme end of traits in the general population. Epidemiological and twin studies also suggest that ADHD frequently co-occurs with and shares genetic susceptibility with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)/ASD-related traits. The aims of this study were to determine whether a composite of common molecular genetic variants, previously found to be associated with clinically-diagnosed ADHD, predicts ADHD and ASD-related traits in the general population.
Method
Polygenic risk scores were calculated in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) population sample (N=8,229), based on a discovery case-control genome-wide association study of childhood ADHD. Regression analyses were used to assess whether polygenic scores predicted ADHD traits and also ASD-related measures (pragmatic language abilities and social cognition) in ALSPAC. Polygenic scores were also compared in males and females endorsing any (≥1) ADHD item (N=3,623).
Results
ADHD polygenic risk showed a positive association with ADHD (hyperactive-impulsive: p=0.0039; inattentive: p=0.037) traits. ADHD polygenic risk was also negatively associated with pragmatic language abilities (p=0.037), but not with social cognition (p=0.43). In children with a rating ≥1 for ADHD traits, females had a higher polygenic score than males (p=0.003).
Conclusions
These findings provide molecular genetic evidence that risk alleles for the categorical disorder of ADHD influence hyperactive-impulsive and attentional traits in the general population. The results further suggest that common genetic variation that contributes to ADHD diagnosis may also influence ASD-related traits, which at their extreme are a characteristic feature of ASD.