One of the most replicated findings in studies of attention-deficit/hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD) is its very high heritability, which averages approximately 75% across
20 twin studies conducted on three continents (
1
). ADHD’s high heritability kick-started a search for DNA variants with the hope that
their discovery would lead to advances in diagnosis and treatment. During the dark
decades of linkage and candidate gene studies, progress was slow, but in the past
few years, boosted by genome-wide association studies (GWAS), the ADHD research community
has made real breakthroughs. GWAS taught us that 25% to 30% of ADHD’s heritability
could be accounted for by a polygenic liability consisting of many common DNA variants
(
2
). GWAS also gave us replicated discoveries of rare deletions and insertions known
as copy number variants (CNVs) (
3
). These GWAS data confirmed what many had suspected from epidemiologic data, that
ADHD’s genetic liability consists of a complex mixture of common and rare DNA variants.To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
July 16,
2014
Received:
July 16,
2014
Identification
Copyright
© 2014 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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- Genetic Risk for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Contributes to Neurodevelopmental Traits in the General PopulationBiological PsychiatryVol. 76Issue 8
- PreviewAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can be viewed as the extreme end of traits in the general population. Epidemiological and twin studies suggest that ADHD frequently co-occurs with and shares genetic susceptibility with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 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.
- Full-Text
- Preview
- Neuroanatomical Abnormalities and Cognitive Impairments Are Shared by Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Their Unaffected First-Degree RelativesBiological PsychiatryVol. 76Issue 8
- PreviewAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a highly heritable neurodevelopmental disorder, yet the search for genes with a definitive role in its etiology has been elusive. Deconstructing the disorder in its endophenotypic traits, where the variance is thought to be associated with a fewer number of genes, should boost the statistical power of molecular genetic studies and clarify the pathophysiology of ADHD. In this study, we tested for neuroanatomical and cognitive endophenotypes in a group of adults with ADHD, their unaffected first-degree relatives, and typically developing control subjects.
- Full-Text
- Preview
