Dopamine transporter 3'UTR VNTR genotype is a marker of performance on executive function tasks in children with ADHD

Karama, Sherif, Grizenko, Natalie, Sonuga-Barke, Edmund, Doyle, Alysa, Biederman, Joseph, Mbekou, Valentin, Polotskaia, Anna, Ter-Stepanian, Marina, De Guzman, Rosherrie, Bellingham, Johanne, Sengupta, Sarojini and Joober, Ridha (2008) Dopamine transporter 3'UTR VNTR genotype is a marker of performance on executive function tasks in children with ADHD. BMC Psychiatry, 8 (Suppl 1), 45. (doi:10.1186/1471-244X-8-45).

Abstract

Background
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a heterogeneous disorder from both clinical and pathogenic viewpoints. Executive function deficits are considered among the most important pathogenic pathways leading to ADHD and may index part of the heterogeneity in this disorder.
Methods
To investigate the relationship between the dopamine transporter gene (SLC6A3) 3'-UTR VNTR genotypes and executive function in children with ADHD, 196 children diagnosed with ADHD were sequentially recruited, genotyped, and tested using a battery of three neuropsychological tests aimed at assessing the different aspects of executive functioning. Results: Taking into account a correction for multiple comparisons, the main finding of this study is a significant genotype effect on TOL (F = 6.902, p = 0.009) and FFDI performances (F = 7.125, p = 0.008) as well as strong trends on SOPT error scores (F = 4,996 p = 0.026) and Digit Span performance (F = 6.28, p = 0.023). Children with the 9/10 genotype had poorer performance on all four measures compared to children with the 10/10 genotype. No effect of genotype on WCST measures of performance was detected.
Conclusion
Results are compatible with the view that SLC6A3 genotype may modulate components of executive function performance in children with ADHD.
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