Gender-Specific Association of the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Gene with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Abstract

ObjectiveAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder with a strong genetic component. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which participates in the differentiation and survival of dopaminergic and noradrenergic neurons, could play a role in ADHD development. We aimed to explore the relationships between ADHD and BDNF gene polymorphism.MethodsWe conducted a case-control analysis of 202 ADHD subjects and 159 controls, performed a transmission disequilibrium test on 151 trios, and compared the results of a continuous performance test (CPT) according to the genotype of the three single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs11030101, rs6265, rs16917204) in the BDNF gene.ResultsIn the case-control analysis, the AA genotype of the BDNF rs11030101 polymorphism was significantly associated with ADHD only in girls (p=0.024, odds ratio=3.00). The T-G-G haplotype was significantly less frequent (p=0.005) and A-G-G was more frequent (p=0.048) in girls with ADHD than in control girls (global p=0.027). A multivariate analysis of variance for commission errors on the CPT showed a significant main effect for the rs11030101 genotype (p=0.026) and an interaction effect of the rs11030101 genotype and gender (p=0.032) in ADHD probands.ConclusionThese results provide preliminary evidence for a gender-specific association between BDNF and ADHD in the Korean population.

Physical Exercise Alleviates ADHD Symptoms: Regional Deficits and Development Trajectory

“…In the context of BDNF involvement in ADHD, Shim et al (2008) have shown a positive correlation between plasma levels of BDNF and severity of omission errors on a continuous performance test in ADHD children (see also Shim et al 2010). Finally, Cho et al (2010) have reported the association between the BDNF rs11030101 polymorphism and continuous performance errors of commission in a population of ADHD Korean girls.…”

Association between the dopamine transporter gene (DAT1) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder-related traits in healthy adults

“…Association between DAT1 and ADHD-related traits Jeong et al 123 In the initial analysis, no meaningful association was found between any of the investigated markers and WURS-25 total scores. However, qualitative differences between men and women in the epidemiologic and symptomatic characteristics suggested that we might proceed with further analyses on men and women separately (Biederman et al, 2008;Cho et al, 2010). After this separation, a weak association was found between rs2937639 and WURS-25 total scores in male participants (P = 0.04).…”

Association BetweenBDNFGene Polymorphisms and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Korean Children

“…In a study of Korean children, which is the only previous study about the female-specific association between ADHD and BDNF, Cho et al (2010) reported the association between the rs11030101 genetic polymorphism of the BDNF gene and ADHD that was reported first in Korea. However, in this study, the correlation between ADHD and BDNFrs11030101 and rs10835210 genetic polymorphism was found first.…”

“…Another case-control (Aureli et al, 2010) association study and a haplotype association analysis (Lanktree et al, 2008) also found that the Val allele was significantly associated with ADHD. However, others could not replicate the results (Friedel et al, 2005;Lee et al, 2007;Schimmelmann et al, 2007;Xu et al, 2007;Ribasés et al, 2008;Cho et al, 2010;Tzang et al, 2013) (Table 1).…”

“…The BDNF single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was genotyped by polymerase chain reaction according to the protocol described by studies (Cho et al, 2010). We selected the following five SNPs in the BDNF gene (NM170733 and NR002832): rs6265 (axon 1), rs11030101 (axon 1), rs10835210 (intron 1), rs7103873 (3¢-flanking region), and rs2030324 (intron 1) that were genotyped by Illumina, Inc. (San Diego, CA) through the use of their Integrated Bead Array System (Table 3).…”