A Replicated Molecular Genetic Basis for Subtyping Antisocial Behavior in Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

2008/02/01 by Avshalom Caspi, K. Langley, Kate Langley +12 · 27 citations
Medicine · Psychology · Neuroscience · #Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder #Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending #Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior

paper · doi:10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2007.24

Abstract

CONTEXT: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder that in some cases is accompanied by antisocial behavior. OBJECTIVE: To test if variations in the catechol O-methyltransferase gene (COMT) would prove useful in identifying the subset of children with ADHD who exhibit antisocial behavior. DESIGN: Three independent samples composed of 1 clinical sample of ADHD cases and 2 birth cohort studies. PARTICIPANTS: Participants in the clinical sample were drawn from child psychiatry and child health clinics in England and Wales. The 2 birth cohort studies included 1 sample of 2232 British children born in 1994-1995 and a second sample of 1037 New Zealander children born in 1972-1973. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Diagnosis of ADHD and measures of antisocial behavior. RESULTS: We present replicated evidence that the COMT valine/methionine polymorphism at codon 158 (COMT Val158Met) was associated with phenotypic variation among children with ADHD. Across the 3 samples, valine/valine homozygotes had more symptoms of conduct disorder, were more aggressive, and were more likely to be convicted of criminal offenses compared with methionine carriers. CONCLUSIONS: The findings confirm the presence of genetic heterogeneity in ADHD and illustrate how genetic information may provide biological evidence pointing to clinical subtypes.

Cited by

• Study of the Catechol‐O‐Methyltransferase (COMT) Gene with High Aggression in Children
• The Association Between ADHD and Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)
• Research review: DSM-V conduct disorder: research needs for an evidence base. [europepmc]
• The effects of childhood disruptive disorder comorbidity on P3 event-related brain potentials in preadolescents with ADHD. [europepmc]
• Variation in the catechol-O-methyltransferase Val 158 Met polymorphism associated with conduct disorder and ADHD symptoms, among adolescent male delinquents. [europepmc]
• A person-centered personality approach to heterogeneity in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). [europepmc]
• Molecular genetics of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: an overview. [europepmc]
• Genome-wide association study of conduct disorder symptomatology. [europepmc]
• COMT Val158Met genotype as a risk factor for problem behaviors in youth. [europepmc]
• Perinatal risk factors interacting with catechol O-methyltransferase and the serotonin transporter gene predict ASD symptoms in children with ADHD. [europepmc]
• European guidelines on managing adverse effects of medication for ADHD. [europepmc]
• Interactions between the COMT Val108/158Met polymorphism and maternal prenatal smoking predict aggressive behavior outcomes. [europepmc]
• Gene x disease interaction on orbitofrontal gray matter in cocaine addiction. [europepmc]
• Psychopathological aspects of dopaminergic gene polymorphisms in adolescence and young adulthood. [europepmc]
• Impulsivity and Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder: Subtype Classification Using the UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale. [europepmc]
• Human aggression across the lifespan: genetic propensities and environmental moderators. [europepmc]
• Epigenetics in Developmental Disorder: ADHD and Endophenotypes. [europepmc]
• Systematic meta-analyses and field synopsis of genetic association studies of violence and aggression. [europepmc]
• Does low birth weight share common genetic or environmental risk with childhood disruptive disorders? [europepmc]
• Relationship between the COMT-Val158Met and BDNF-Val66Met polymorphisms, childhood trauma and psychotic experiences in an adolescent general population sample. [europepmc]
• Comorbidities and continuities as ontogenic processes: toward a developmental spectrum model of externalizing psychopathology. [europepmc]
• Is Adult ADHD a Childhood-Onset Neurodevelopmental Disorder? Evidence From a Four-Decade Longitudinal Cohort Study. [europepmc]
• The Role of the Catechol-o-Methyltransferase (COMT) GeneVal158Met in Aggressive Behavior, a Review of Genetic Studies. [europepmc]
• Early development of comorbidity between symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). [europepmc]
• Longitudinal Intergenerational Birth Cohort Designs: A Systematic Review of Australian and New Zealand Studies. [europepmc]
• Evaluation of the Persistence, Remission, and Emergence of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Young Adulthood. [europepmc]
• ADHD and Sleep Quality: Longitudinal Analyses From Childhood to Early Adulthood in a Twin Cohort. [europepmc]

Related

• Study of the Catechol‐O‐Methyltransferase (COMT) Gene with High Aggression in Children
• Investigating the Contribution of Common Genetic Variants to the Risk and Pathogenesis of ADHD
• Genome-Wide Analysis of Copy Number Variants in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: The Role of Rare Variants and Duplications at 15q13.3
• Dopamine transporter polymorphism associated with externalizing behavior problems in children
• The Association Between ADHD and Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)