Association Between Dopamine Beta-Hydroxylase Gene Polymorphisms and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Korean Children

Abstract

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common disorder of the school-age population. ADHD is familial, and genetic studies estimate heritability at 80%-90%. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between the genetic type and alleles for the dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH) gene in Korean children with ADHD. The sample consisted of 142 ADHD children and 139 control children. We diagnosed ADHD according to DSM-IV. ADHD symptoms were evaluated with the Conners' Parent Rating Scales and Dupaul Parent ADHD Rating Scales. Blood samples were taken from the 281 subjects; DNA was extracted from blood lymphocytes, and polymerase chain reaction was performed for the DBH polymorphism. The alleles and genotype frequencies were compared using the chi-square test. We compared the allele and genotype frequencies of the DBH gene polymorphism in the ADHD and control groups. This study showed that there was a significant correlation among the frequencies of rs1611115 (odds ratio=0.64, 95% confidence interval=0.42-0.97, p=0.034) of the alleles of DBH, but the final conclusions are not definite. Follow-up studies with larger patient or pure subgroups are expected. These results suggested that DBH might be related to ADHD symptoms.