Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be linked to genetic variation in brain signaling pathways, HealthDay News reported Sunday. According to a new study from the Center for Applied Genomics at Children’s Hospital, finding the gene variants means that different treatment options for people with ADHD may exist.
By comparing whole-genome analyses of children with ADHD to those of children without ADHD, researchers found that deletions or duplications of DNA sequences were found in the glutamate receptor gene family in people with the disorder. Glutamate is a protein that operates along the brain pathways to transmit signals between neurons, HealthDay reported.
Study leader Hakon Hakonarson explained the findings in a news release from the hospital.
“Members of the GMR gene family, along with genes they interact with, affect nerve transmission, the formation of neurons, and interconnections in the brain, so the fact that children with ADHD are more likely to have alterations in these genes reinforces previous evidence that the GMR pathway is important in ADHD,” Hakonarson said.
The study findings are important not only because they offer some insight into the cause of ADHD, but because they may be able to help inform new treatment options. According to Andrew Adesman of Steven & Alexandra Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New York, the study provides researchers with “novel treatment strategies” related to the affected protein.
“Hopefully these findings will allow researchers to identify safe and effective treatment strategies for the subset of children with ADHD who have variations in their glutamate-related genes,” he said.
