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The serotonin 5-HT1B receptor gene and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Molecular Psychiatry volume 8, pages 98–102 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

Recent research has suggested that serotonin, in addition to dopamine, may be involved in the development of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Serotonin regulates dopaminergic neurotransmission in some areas of the brain via several 5-HT receptors including 5-HT1B. Animal studies have suggested the involvement of the 5-HT1B receptors in locomotor behaviour. For these reasons, we hypothesized that the 5-HT1B receptor gene may be a good candidate for genetic studies of ADHD. We tested for linkage disequilibrium between the 5-HT1B G861C polymorphism and ADHD in 115 families using the transmission disequilibrium test (TDT). We found evidence for a trend towards excess transmission of the 861G allele (χ2=2.91, P=0.09) that when further analysed for parental allele transmissions exhibited significantly greater paternal transmission of the G allele (χ2=4.80, P=0.03) to the affected child. Although preliminary, results from this study provide additional evidence that serotonin genes may be important risk factors for the development of ADHD.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clarke Division, and Department of Psychiatry, Neurogenetics Section, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    J F Quist, V S Basile & J L Kennedy

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    C L Barr

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    C L Barr, R Schachar, R Tannock & J Beitchman

  4. Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    W Roberts & M Malone

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  1. J F Quist
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  2. C L Barr
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  4. W Roberts
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  7. V S Basile
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  8. J Beitchman
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  9. J L Kennedy
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Correspondence to J L Kennedy.

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Quist, J., Barr, C., Schachar, R. et al. The serotonin 5-HT1B receptor gene and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Mol Psychiatry 8, 98–102 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.mp.4001244

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