title: Allele-specific associations of 5-HTTLPR/rs25531 with ADHD and autism spectrum disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aims of the present study were to examine the association between a common serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) polymorphism 5-HTTLPR/rs25531 with severity of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mothers and teachers completed a validated DSM-IV-referenced rating scale for ADHD and ASD symptoms in 118 children with ASD.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analyses indicated that children with at least one copy of the S or L(G) allele obtained significantly more severe maternal ratings of hyperactivity (p=0.001; ηp(2)=0.097) and impulsivity (p=0.027; ηp(2)=0.044) but not inattention (p=0.061; ηp(2)=0.032), controlling for ASD severity, than children homozygous for the L(A) allele. Conversely, mothers' ratings indicated that children with L(A)/L(A) genotype had more severe ASD social deficits than S or L(G) allele carriers (p=0.003; ηp(2)=0.081), controlling for ADHD symptom severity. Teachers' ratings though consistent with mothers' ratings of hyperactivity and social deficits were marginally significant (p=0.07/p=0.09). There was some evidence that the magnitude of parent-teacher agreement regarding symptom severity varied as a function of the child's genotype.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The 5-HTTLPR/rs25531 polymorphism or its correlates may modulate severity of ADHD and ASD symptoms in children with ASD, but in different ways. These tentative, hypothesis-generating findings require replication with larger independent samples.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-8790, USA. kenneth.gadow@stonybrook.edu
authors.forename: Kenneth D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Gadow
authors.forename: Carla J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: DeVincent
authors.forename: Victoria I
authors.initials: VI
authors.lastname: Siegal
authors.forename: Doreen M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Olvet
authors.forename: Saniya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kibria
authors.forename: Sarah F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Kirsch
authors.forename: Eli
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hatchwell
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000483:Alleles; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics*; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: C493230:SLC6A4 protein, human; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins