title: Folate pathway genetic polymorphisms are related to attention disorders in childhood leukemia survivors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test the hypothesis that 5,10-methylenetetrahydroreductase (MTHFR) polymorphisms can partially explain the individual variation in developing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) after acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Parents of 48 survivors of childhood ALL completed a clinical diagnostic process to identify subtypes of ADHD. Genotyping was performed with peripheral blood DNA for MTHFR (C677T and A1298C) polymorphisms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eleven of the 48 patients (22.9%) had scores consistent with the inattentive symptoms of ADHD. Patients with genotypes related to lower folate levels (11 out of 39; 39.2%) were more likely to have ADHD. The A1298C genotype appeared to be the predominant linkage to the inattentive symptoms, leading to a 7.4-fold increase in diagnosis, compared with a 1.3-fold increase for the C677T genotype. Age at diagnosis and sex were not associated with inattentiveness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Preliminary data imply a strong relationship between MTHFR polymorphisms and the inattentive symptoms of ADHD in survivors of childhood ALL.
authors.affiliation: Learning Support Center for Child Psychology, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA. kevin.krull@stjude.org
authors.forename: Kevin R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Krull
authors.forename: Pim
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brouwers
authors.forename: Neelam
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jain
authors.forename: Linna
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bomgaars
authors.forename: ZoAnn
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Dreyer
authors.forename: Donald
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mahoney
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bottomley
authors.forename: M Fatih
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Okcu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005493:Folic Acid Antagonists / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D045102:Methylenetetrahydrofolate Dehydrogenase (NAD+) / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D010290:Parents; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000188:drug therapy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors
chemical_list: D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D005493:Folic Acid Antagonists; D045102:Methylenetetrahydrofolate Dehydrogenase (NAD+); D008727:Methotrexate