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ADD/ADHD In The News: |
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| Wall Street Journal, online edition, 10/22/02 |
| GENERAL LOCATION OF GENE LINKED TO ADHD IS FOUND |
| by Robert McGough |
| Researchers have found the general location of a gene that could account
for as much as 30% of the genetic cause of attention-deficit/hyperactivity
disorder, a step toward better diagnosis and treatment. Moreover, they
say, the discovery is in a region of the human genome that has also been
implicated in autism -- a finding that could point to overlapping causes
of both conditions. Like nearly all psychiatric disorders, "ADHD is due to many genes," said Susan L. Smalley, a professor of psychiatry at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute, and lead researcher in the study. "What we're doing now is narrowing in on one of many genes that play a role." The study, published Tuesday in the American Journal of Human Genetics, looked at genetic samples of 277 biological siblings with ADHD. The researchers succeeded in narrowing down the area where the gene was likely to be found to a stretch of 100 to 150 genes on chromosome 16. Dr. Smalley said the work would need to be replicated, and that years of effort will still be required to find actual genes that contribute to ADHD. "Finding a gene is like finding a contact lens at Disneyland," she said, and the current research is equivalent to finding that the contact lens "probably is in Space Mountain." The research would have been almost impossible without the mapping of the human genome in recent years, she said, and the help of 203 families willing to donate blood samples. Autism, like ADHD, is a psychiatric disorder with its onset in childhood. Autism is characterized in part by severe social and communications difficulties, while attention-deficit disorder is frequently marked by problems with attention and planning, and a lack of normal inhibitions. But while the two disorders are distinct, Dr. Smalley said they often have overlapping characteristics; for instance, autistic children often have attention difficulties, and children with ADHD frequently have difficulties with social relationships. So, while it may be that genes contributing to ADHD and autism are simply located near each other, it is also possible that some of the genes contributing to the different disorders are shared, the study suggests. Dr. Edwin Cook, a professor of psychiatry, pediatrics and human genetics at the University of Chicago, said the study emphasizes an emerging view of genes as "pluses and minuses that are modifying and contributing to the diversity of our personalities, our strengths and our weaknesses." In some instances, variations in the same genes may work together in complex and surprising ways to influence people's susceptibility to conditions such as ADHD and autism. According to Dr. Smalley, learning the genetics of ADHD -- which is also influenced by environment -- could lead to early diagnosis of the condition. While learning the biology of ADHD might help in the development of new medications, she said another impact of the research could eventually allow early intervention "to prevent the impairment associated with ADHD," she said. |
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| Copyright 2002 Wall Street Journal |
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