The dopamine receptor D4 7-repeat allele influences neurocognitive functioning, but this effect is moderated by age and ADHD status: an exploratory study
Publication year
2012Source
World Journal of Biological Psychiatry, 13, 4, (2012), pp. 293-305ISSN
Publication type
Article / Letter to editor
Display more detailsDisplay less details
Organization
Cognitive Neuroscience
Psychiatry
Human Genetics
PI Group Memory & Emotion
Former Organization
F.C. Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging
Journal title
World Journal of Biological Psychiatry
Volume
vol. 13
Issue
iss. 4
Page start
p. 293
Page end
p. 305
Subject
DCN PAC - Perception action and control; DCN PAC - Perception action and control IGMD 3: Genomic disorders and inherited multi-system disorders; DCN PAC - Perception action and control NCEBP 9 - Mental health; IGMD 3: Genomic disorders and inherited multi-system disorders DCN MP - Plasticity and memory; NCEBP 9: Mental healthAbstract
OBJECTIVES: Evidence suggests the involvement of the dopamine D4 receptor gene (DRD4) in the pathogenesis of ADHD, but the exact mechanism is not well understood. Earlier reports on the effects of DRD4 polymorphisms on neurocognitive and neuroimaging measures are inconsistent. This study investigated the functional consequences of the 7-repeat allele of DRD4 on neurocognitive endophenotypes of ADHD in the Dutch subsample of the International Multicenter ADHD Genetics study. METHODS: Participants were 350 children (5-11.5 years) and adolescents (11.6-19 years) with ADHD and their 195 non-affected siblings. An overall measure of neuropsychological functioning was derived by principal component analysis from five neurocognitive and five motor tasks. The effects of DRD4 and age were examined using Linear Mixed Model analyses. RESULTS: The analyses were stratified for affected and non-affected participants after finding a significant three-way interaction between ADHD status, age and the 7-repeat allele. Apart from a main effect of age, a significant interaction effect of age and DRD4 was found in non-affected but not in affected participants, with non-affected adolescent carriers of the 7-repeat allele showing worse neuropsychological performance. In addition, carrying the 7-repeat allele of DRD4 was related to a significantly worse performance on verbal working memory in non-affected siblings, independent of age. CONCLUSIONS: These results might indicate that the effect of the DRD4 7-repeat allele on neuropsychological functioning is dependent on age and ADHD status.
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
- Academic publications [238426]
- Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging [3824]
- Faculty of Medical Sciences [90359]
Upload full text
Use your RU credentials (u/z-number and password) to log in with SURFconext to upload a file for processing by the repository team.