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4 - Quantitative and molecular genetic studies of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in adults

from Section 2 - Insights into the pathophysiology of ADHD in adults

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 April 2011

By
Philip J. Asherson ,
Florence Levy  and
Steve V. Faraone
Edited by
Jan K. Buitelaar ,
Cornelis C. Kan  and
Philip Asherson
Jan K. Buitelaar
Affiliation:
Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen Medical Center
Cornelis C. Kan
Affiliation:
Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen Medical Centerr
Philip Asherson
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, London
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Summary

This chapter outlines twin, adoption and family studies of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It focuses on comorbid disorders and describes recent advances in molecular genetics of ADHD in children and adults. Twin studies suggest that genetic liability for ADHD is continuously distributed throughout the population. Several reports have suggested that the familial risk for ADHD in adults is mediated predominantly by genetic and not environmental influences, based on different rates of ADHD among biological and non-biological (adoptive) parents of children with ADHD. The complexity of the links between ADHD and antisocial behavior was described in an adoption study that investigated 283 male adopted-away children of adults displaying antisocial behaviors. Gender differences in genetic and environmental influences on ADHD have been investigated in children. Molecular genetic studies have examined serotonergic genes because of the well-known role of serotonin in impulsivity, one of the core symptoms of ADHD.
Type
Chapter
Information
ADHD in Adults
Characterization, Diagnosis, and Treatment
 , pp. 25 - 48
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2011

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