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No significant association between response to methylphenidate and genes of the dopaminergic and serotonergic systems in a sample of Brazilian children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Zeni CP, Guimarães AP, Polanczyk GV, Genro JP, Roman T, Hutz MH, Rohde LA

ADHD outpatient clinic, Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Division, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Few studies on pharmacogenetics of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have been conducted. Most of them evaluated dopaminergic genes resulting in positive and negative findings. We assessed effects of polymorphisms in candidate dopaminergic (DRD4, DAT1) and serotonergic genes (HTR1B, HTR2A, and 5-HTT) on the response to treatment in 111 patients for whom methylphenidate (MPH) was prescribed. Outcome measures (Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham scale-version IV, Children Global Assessment Scale, Barkley's Stimulants Side Effects Rating Scale) were assessed at baseline and 1 month after the intervention. No significant association was detected between polymorphisms assessed and both response and side effects to MPH. Prospective multi-site controlled studies with larger sample sizes are needed in order to disentangle the role of candidate genes in response to ADHD treatment.

Published 2 April 2007 in Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet, 144(3): 391-4.
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