ADHD Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about ADHD, including details on attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, drugs, treatment, symptoms.

A family based study implicates solute carrier family 1-member 3 (SLC1A3) gene in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Turic D, Langley K, Williams H, Norton N, Williams NM, Moskvina V, Van den Bree MB, Owen MJ, Thapar A, O'Donovan MC

Department of Psychological Medicine, Cardiff University, School of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff, United Kingdom.

BACKGROUND: The glutamatergic system, the major excitatory neurotransmitter system in the central nervous system (CNS) has been proposed as contributing a possible role in the etiology of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This is based upon observations from animal, neuroimaging, neuroanatomical and neuropsychological studies. Genes related to glutamate function are therefore good functional candidates for this disorder. The SLC1A3 (Solute Carrier Family 1, member 3) gene encodes a glial glutamate transporter which maps to chromosome 5p12, a region of linkage that coincides in two published ADHD genome scans so far. SLC1A3 is thus both a functional and positional candidate gene for ADHD. METHODS: We have undertaken detailed association analysis of SLC1A3 using a multi-stage approach for candidate gene analysis. RESULTS: In a family-based sample (n = 299) we found a significant association between marker rs2269272 (p = .007) and ADHD. Two, two-marker haplotypes, rs2269272/rs3776581 (p = .016) and rs2269272/rs2032893 (p = .013) also yielded evidence of association. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study suggest that genetic variation in SLC1A3 may contribute to susceptibility to ADHD.

Published 13 June 2005 in Biol Psychiatry, 57(11): 1461-6.
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