Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder involves differential cortical processing in a visual spatial attention paradigm.

OBJECTIVE: Inattention is undoubtedly one of the main characteristics of Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Nevertheless, a growing corpus of evidence shows that not all attentional processes are affected in this condition. This study aimed to explore the distribution of attentional resources in children with ADHD via a spatially shifted double-oddball visual task. METHODS: We recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) for all visual stimuli. Subjects were instructed to allocate attention in a specific area of visual space while ignoring all stimuli presented outside. Ten male children (age: 9-14; mean = 11.6 +/- 2.1) who met DSM-IV criteria for the ADHD combined subtype participated in the study, along with ten age- and sex-matched healthy controls (9-14; mean = 11.2 +/- 2.3). RESULTS: ADHD subjects showed late differential cortical responses to initially suppressed irrelevant stimuli. The amplitude of early N1-P1 components were mainly modulated by stimulus location and showed no significant differences between groups, but a late P300-like positivity was clearly evoked in the ADHD group by peripheral stimuli. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that ADHD may not compromise the early attentional spatial filter but rather entails a different distribution of attentional resources at later stages of cortical processing. Perhaps these differences may be attributable to individual differences in attentional mechanisms. SIGNIFICANCE: ADHD may not affect initial focusing of visual attention but rather the allocation of processing resources in later stages.

Presencia de los alelos DRD4/7R y DAT1/10R en miembros de familias chilenas con síndrome de déficit atencional con hiperactividad / Presence of DRD4/7R and DAT1/10R allele in Chilean family members with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

BACKGROUND: Genes for dopamine receptor DRD4 and dopamine transporter DAT1 have been implicated in attention deficit with hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, the findings are not conclusive. More studies in populations with different genetic backgrounds may contribute to solve the discrepancies observed. AIM: To test the hypothesis that affected members of Chilean families exhibit higher frequencies of the DRD4/7R and DAT1/10R alleles then their healthy sibs. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The parents of 51 children belonging to families of the Metropolitan Region of Chile, were approached to obtain clinical histories and blood samples, after the signature of a written informed consent. ADHD was diagnosed according to DSM-IV criteria, ancd intellectual coefficient was tested using the WISC-R test. Genomic DNA was extracted from lymphocytes and amplified by PCR. RESULTS: The 7R allele was identified in 13 out of 26 subjects diagnosed as ADHD and in 6 of 25 healthy sibs (p < 0.05). Parents with a history of ADHD, were conmpared with their healthy counterparts, exhibiting an identical tendency, that did not reach statistical significance. No significant differences in the frequencies of DAT1/10R alleles, were observed between cases and controls or their parents. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that ADHD in Chilean families is associated with the presence of DRD4/7R allele.

[Genetics of addictive disorders]. / Genética de los desórdenes adictivos.

Given the spectacular advances of genetics during the last five years, it seems appropriate to revisit the important subject of genetics of alcoholism and substance abuse. In recent studies alcohol abuse was shown to have an hereditability of roughly 38%, whereas psychostimulant and opiate use exhibit hereditabilities of 11 to 45%. The hereditability of smoking was found to be around 50%. There is a strong comorbidity between alcoholism and smoking. More than 80% of alcoholics smoke cigarettes in the U.S.A. Other genetic methods such as linkage analysis, allele sharing methods, association studies and analysis of inbred, transgenic and gene-knockout rodents, have partially agreed in showing that the 5HT-1B serotonin receptor and the DRD1, DRD2 and DRD4 dopamine receptors, as well as the dopamine transporter DAT, play an important role in behaviors related to alcoholism and substance abuse. Some neurochemical markers, as for example monoamine oxidase and adenylate cyclase have also been implicated in addictive disorders. The aldehyde dehydrogenase allele ALDH2*2 has a protective effect against alcoholism. Two whole genome linkage studies have shown linkage to chromosomal regions that are in the proximity of the DRD4 dopamine receptor, the GABA receptor gene cluster and the alcohol dehydrogenase gene cluster.