Association of genetic risk severity with ADHD clinical characteristics

This study sought to examine the association between the cumulative risk severity conferred by the total number of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) risk alleles of the DAT1 3'UTR variable number tandem repeat (VNTR), DRD4 Exon 3 VNTR, and 5-HTTLPR with ADHD characteristics, clinical correlates, and functional outcomes in a pediatric sample. Participants were derived from case-control family studies of boys and girls diagnosed with ADHD, a genetic linkage study of families with children with ADHD, and a family genetic study of pediatric bipolar disorder. Caucasian children 18 and younger with and without ADHD and with available genetic data were included in this analysis (N = 591). The association of genetic risk severity with sociodemographic, clinical characteristics, neuropsychological, emotional, and behavioral correlates was examined in the entire sample, in the sample with ADHD, and in the sample without ADHD, respectively. Greater genetic risk severity was significantly associated with the presence of disruptive behavior disorders in the entire sample and oppositional defiant disorder in participants with ADHD. Greater genetic risk severity was also associated with the absence of anxiety disorders, specifically with the absence of agoraphobia in the context of ADHD. Additionally, one ADHD symptom was significantly associated with greater genetic risk severity. Genetic risk severity is significantly associated with ADHD clinical characteristics and co-morbid disorders, and the nature of these associations may vary on the type (externalizing vs. internalizing) of the disorder.