title: Association of the DAT1 genotype with inattentive behavior is mediated by reading ability in a general population sample.
abstract: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and reading disability (RD) frequently co-occur in the child population and therefore raise the possibility of shared genetic etiology. We used a quantitative trait loci (QTL) approach to assess the involvement of the dopamine transporter (DAT1) gene polymorphism in mediating reading disability and poor attention in a general population sample of primary school children aged 6-11 years in the UK. The potential confounding effects of IQ and chronological age were also investigated. We found an independent association between the homozygous DAT1 10/10 repeat genotype and RD that was not accounted for by the level of ADHD symptoms. This finding suggests that the DAT1 gene polymorphism may influence a common neural mechanism underlying both reading acquisition and ADHD symptoms.
authors: Monash Institute for Brain Development and Repair, School of Psychology & Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. kim.cornish@monash.edu
authors: Kim M
authors: KM
authors: Cornish
authors: Robert
authors: R
authors: Savage
authors: Darren R
authors: DR
authors: Hocking
authors: Chris P
authors: CP
authors: Hollis
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000235:genetics*; D002648:Child; D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D008297:Male; D040641:Quantitative Trait Loci; D011932:Reading
chemical_list: D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; C493214:SLC6A3 protein, human