It’s only when the genesis of a particular disorder is explored, do we come to terms with the exact nature of the disease and ways to combat it. Pediatric experts from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, have uncovered certain genetic variants in crucial brain signaling pathways among children suffering from ADHD.
This study looks like a ray of hope for development of new drug targets that could eventually pave the path to treatment for ADHD. This genome analysis constituted nearly 1,000 children with ADHD pitted against age-matched controls. The team aimed to locate deletions or replications of DNA patterns. Many more cohorts comprising 2,500 ADHD cases and 9,200 control participants, were also undertaken.
“At least 10 percent of the ADHD patients in our sample have these particular genetic variants. The genes involved affect neurotransmitter systems in the brain that have been implicated in ADHD, and we now have a genetic explanation for this link that applies to a subset of children with the disorder,†commented study leader Hakon Hakonarson, MD, PhD, director of the Center for Applied Genomics at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Among this extensive set of subjects, the analysts found 4 genes with substantially higher number of copy number variations (CNVs) among those diagnosed with ADHD. A specific gene namely GMR5 appeared to have an upper hand in signaling and brain interconnections. The results were in line with other reports stating that the GMR pathway is critical for people with ADHD.
This trial could lead to comprehending the underlying cause of a subset of ADHD along with development of efficient therapies thereafter. The report titled, ‘Genome-wide copy number variation study associates metabotropic glutamate receptor gene networks with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,’ is published in the journal, Nature Genetics.