Saturday, October 2, 2010

ADHD - Genetic Brain Disorder

Researchers believe they have found direct evidence that AHDH or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is a genetic condition. The child of a parent with ADHD is more likely to have the condition than a child of a parent without ADHD. And if one child of a set of identical twins has ADHD, the other twin has a 75% chance of having ADHD. Children with ADHD were more likely to have small DNA segments duplicated or missing as compared with controls. Researchers found significant overlap between these segments, or copy number variations (CNVs), and those linked to autism and schizophrenia. This type of genetic variation is found to be more common in brain disorders. The most significant overlap of segments, or copy number variations (CNVs), with ADHD and Autism was found at a particular region on chromosome 16. Current conclusions: ADHD is likely caused by a number of genetic changes, including CNVs, interacting with as yet unidentified environmental factors; ADHD is better considered as a neurodevelopmental disorder like autism rather than as a behavioral problem.(Study is First to Find Direct Evidence That ADHD is a Genetic Disorder.)

http://www.docguide.com/news/content.nsf/news/852576140048867C852577AD006D7489?Open&id=48DDE4A73E09A969852568880078C249&count=10)

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