No Significant Association between the Alpha-2A-Adrenergic Receptor Gene and Treatment Response in Combined or Inattentive Subtypes of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Abstract

Introduction:

Given the shortage of pharmacogenetic studies on treatment response according to subtype of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), we investigated the associations between the MspI and DraI polymorphisms of the alpha-2 A-adrenergic receptor gene (ADRA2A) and treatment response to methylphenidate according to subtype of ADHD.

Methods:

We enrolled 115 medication-naïve children with ADHD into an open label 8-week trial of methylphenidate. The participants were genotyped and evaluated using the Clinical ­Global Impression (CGI), ADHD rating scale, and Continuous Performance Test (CPT) pre- and post-treatment.

Results:

There was no statistically significant association between the MspI or DraI genotypes and the relative frequency of CGI-improvement (CGI-I) 1 or 2 status among any of the groups (all types of ADHD, ADHD-C, or ADHD-I). However, among the children with ADHD-C, those subjects with the C/C genotype at the ADRA2A DraI polymorphism tended to have a CGI-I 1 or 2 status post-treatment (OR=4.45, p=0.045).

Discussion:

The results of this study do not support the association between the the MspI or DraI genotypes and treatment response to methylphenidate in ADHD. However, our results ­suggest that subtypes might influence pharmacogenetic results in ADHD.·

Key words

attention-deficit/­hyperactivity disorder - ADRA2A - treatment response - subtype - methylphenidate

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