Abstract

Background and Objective Dopamine dysfunction is known to be associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Dopamine D4 receptor gene (DRD4) is one of the important genes in this pathway. This study intended to investigate the variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) in exon 3 of the DRD4 gene in Iranian children and adolescents. Materials and Methods In this study, 130 children with ADHD, aged 6–14 years, and 130 healthy children, within the same age range, were enrolled. All children were selected from northwest of Iran which have Caucasian ethnic background and are of a Turkic ethnic group. VNTR polymorphisms of the DRD4 gene were evaluated by PCR using exon 3-specific primers followed by agarose gel electrophoresis. Findings The Hardy-Weinberg principle and Chi-square test showed a significant difference in 4-repetition (4R) alleles between the ADHD (76.2%) and control (53.8%) groups (p = 0.004; X2 = 17.39; df = 5). The least percentage of repetition alleles in both groups was 2R. Conclusion There is a significant correlation between the 4R alleles of DRD4 and ADHD in the northwest of Iran.

Highlights

  • attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common childhood psychiatric disorder that is associated with the symptoms of sustained hyperactivity, impulsiveness, and inattentiveness

  • This study aimed to investigate the relationship of DRD4 polymorphism with ADHD in Iranian population

  • One hundred and thirty children diagnosed with ADHD and 130 children with no psychiatric diagnosis were enrolled

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Summary

Introduction

ADHD is a common childhood psychiatric disorder that is associated with the symptoms of sustained hyperactivity, impulsiveness, and inattentiveness. The phenotype is quite wide and includes impaired social functioning and skill acquisition and decreased cognitive abilities. These increase the burden of undiagnosed and untreated ADHD with a significant impact on the career, life, and academic achievements [4, 5]. Dopamine dysfunction is known to be associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study intended to investigate the variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) in exon 3 of the DRD4 gene in Iranian children and adolescents. There is a significant correlation between the 4R alleles of DRD4 and ADHD in the northwest of Iran

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