Does ADHD have a genetic link?

Australian neuroscientists launched a three-year study in April to investigate the relationships between genetics, cognitive problems and brain function in children with Attention Defi cit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

More than 600 families who have a child diagnosed with ADHD will be studied by researchers from the Queensland Brain Institute, Mater Children’s Hospital, Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital and Curtin University of Technology in a bid to better understand what causes the disorder.

The study is led by the Queensland Brain Institute’s Associate Professor Mark Bellgrove who said there is already good research evidence to suggest that ADHD might have a strong genetic component.

“Psychological studies have shown that many children with ADHD experience cognitive problems such as difficulties associated with focusing attention, remembering things, day-to-day planning or inhibiting behaviour,” Associate Professor Bellgrove said. “However, the precise relationship between cognitive problems in children with ADHD and their inherited genes is not yet known.”

By documenting cognitive ability in children with ADHD, researchers hope to determine genetic differences between children with and without cognitive problems.

“By examining brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) we will be able to determine how genes infl uence brain function in children with ADHD,” Associate Professor Bellgrove continued.

It is hoped the research may ultimately help medical practitioners to better target treatments for children and adolescents with ADHD by understanding the genes that might infl uence cognitive function.

For more information visit www.adhdstudy.com.au or contact Queensland Chief Investigators Associate Professor Mark Bellgrove on 07 3346 6329, email m.bellgrove@uq.edu.au or Mater Children’s Hospital Developmental Paediatrician Dr Honey Heussler on 07 3163 1636, email honey.heussler@mater.org.au.