Genetic linkage of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder on chromosome 16p13, in a region implicated in autism

Am J Hum Genet. 2002 Oct;71(4):959-63. doi: 10.1086/342732. Epub 2002 Aug 14.

Abstract

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most commonly diagnosed behavioral disorder in childhood and likely represents an extreme of normal behavior. ADHD significantly impacts learning in school-age children and leads to impaired functioning throughout the life span. There is strong evidence for a genetic etiology of the disorder, although putative alleles, principally in dopamine-related pathways suggested by candidate-gene studies, have very small effect sizes. We use affected-sib-pair analysis in 203 families to localize the first major susceptibility locus for ADHD to a 12-cM region on chromosome 16p13 (maximum LOD score 4.2; P=.000005), building upon an earlier genomewide scan of this disorder. The region overlaps that highlighted in three genome scans for autism, a disorder in which inattention and hyperactivity are common, and physically maps to a 7-Mb region on 16p13. These findings suggest that variations in a gene on 16p13 may contribute to common deficits found in both ADHD and autism.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / genetics*
  • Autistic Disorder / genetics*
  • Chromosome Mapping
  • Chromosomes, Human, Pair 16*
  • Female
  • Genetic Linkage / genetics*
  • Humans
  • Male

Associated data

  • OMIM/143465