Quantitative linkage for autism spectrum disorders symptoms in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: significant locus on chromosome 7q11.
ADHD families in Iceland show a strong DNA signal for autism social traits on chromosome 7.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team looked at 238 Icelandic families. All families had at least one child with ADHD.
They asked parents to fill out the Social Responsiveness Scale. This scale counts autism-like social problems.
Lab workers scanned DNA from cheek swabs. They hunted for chromosome spots that travel with high social scores.
What they found
One spot on chromosome 7 showed a strong signal. The math p-value was 0.00003.
Several genes live in that spot, but none stayed significant after tougher tests.
How this fits with other research
Hastings et al. (2001) already showed autism rates doubled in Iceland. The new link gives a possible genetic reason.
Hilton et al. (2010) warned that IQ can hide autism signs during play. The DNA finding says, "Look deeper than behavior."
Mahdi et al. (2018) listed 110 life areas for autism. A shared gene could explain why social trouble is only one slice.
Why it matters
If you test a child for ADHD and parents say, "He also acts autistic," you can explain that the two conditions may share genes. You can keep watching social skills even after the ADHD plan is written. When you write reports, note that chromosome 7q11 is a hot spot for future research, not a test you order today.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
We studied 261 ADHD probands and 354 of their siblings to assess quantitative trait loci associated with autism spectrum disorder symptoms (as measured by the Children's Social Behavior Questionnaire (CSBQ)) using a genome-wide linkage approach, followed by locus-wide association analysis. A genome-wide significant locus for the CSBQ subscale addressing social interaction was found on chromosome 7q11, with suggestive signals supporting this locus on three other CSBQ subscales. We identified two other suggestive loci for the CSBQ total scale and individual subscales on chromosomes 4q35 and 7p12. Fine-mapping the significantly linked locus resulted in interesting candidate genes, although their association was not significant after permutation testing.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2014 · doi:10.1007/s10803-014-2039-4