The dopamine transporter gene is associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in a Taiwanese sample

CK Chen, SL Chen, J Mill, YS Huang, SK Lin… - Molecular …, 2003 - nature.com
CK Chen, SL Chen, J Mill, YS Huang, SK Lin, S Curran, S Purcell, P Sham, P Asherson
Molecular psychiatry, 2003nature.com
Genetic variation of the dopamine transporter gene (DAT1) is of particular interest in the
study of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), since stimulant drugs interact directly
with the transporter protein. Association between ADHD and the 10-repeat allele of a 40-bp
VNTR polymorphism that lies within the 3′-UTR of DAT1 was first reported in 1995, a
finding that has been replicated in at least six independent samples from Caucasian
populations. We analysed the DAT1 polymorphism in a sample of 110 Taiwanese probands …
Abstract
Genetic variation of the dopamine transporter gene (DAT1) is of particular interest in the study of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), since stimulant drugs interact directly with the transporter protein. Association between ADHD and the 10-repeat allele of a 40-bp VNTR polymorphism that lies within the 3′-UTR of DAT1 was first reported in 1995, a finding that has been replicated in at least six independent samples from Caucasian populations. We analysed the DAT1 polymorphism in a sample of 110 Taiwanese probands with a DSM-IV diagnosis of ADHD and found evidence of increased transmission of the 10-repeat allele using TRANSMIT (χ 2= 10.8, 1 df, p= 0.001, OR= 2.9, 95% CI 1.4–6.3). These data give rise to a similar odds ratio to that observed in Caucasian poplulations despite a far higher frequency of the risk allele in this Taiwanese population; 82.3% in the un-transmitted parental alleles and 94.5% in the ADHD probands. These data support the role of DAT1 in ADHD susceptibility among Asian populations.
nature.com