Annual Meeting of the ADHD Molecular Genetics Network

描述（由申请人提供）：我们提议继续一项多年会议资助，该资助为研究人员提供了一个论坛，以进行注意缺陷多动障碍（ADHD）分子遗传学的合作研究。最初的申请是为了响应NIMH的呼吁，即研究人员建立合作机制，以促进检测易患精神疾病的基因。多动症是一种常见的儿童疾病，与学业失败、精神疾病和社会心理残疾有关。由于家庭和双胞胎研究表明ADHD有很大的遗传成分，几个研究小组一直在对这种疾病进行分子遗传学研究。这些研究已经产生了几项荟萃分析结果，表明DRD4、DAT1、DRD5、SNAP-25和5HT1B基因与ADHD的病因有关。尽管这些发现很有趣，但它们并没有带来新的治疗途径。由于全基因组关联研究一直是模棱两可的，而且对938例ADHD三人组的全基因组关联扫描没有发现全基因组显著关联，因此ADHD的易感基因单独影响一定很小。因此，发现ADHD的重复关联将需要大量的样本和合作努力。协作策略在糖尿病、克罗恩病和其他复杂疾病方面取得了成功，但它们需要非常大的样本。尽管需要协作，但协作可能是困难的。许多研究人员担心，大型合作研究将削弱他们工作的科学影响，并将使初级研究人员难以建立独立的声誉。此外，在考虑合作时，它们经常面临无法克服的障碍。例如，每个地点的临床传统在适合使用何种诊断仪器方面经常发生冲突。这导致创建的数据集不容易相互组合。虽然我们在以前的会议上已经开始解决其中的许多问题，但我们需要继续这个系列，以这些成就为基础，并完成在以前的会议上制定的合作计划。注意缺陷多动障碍（ADHD）是儿童时期最常见的精神疾病，影响了8%到12%的青少年。这种障碍在多个生活领域造成损害，包括学业失败、药物滥用、反社会行为、交通事故、非精神卫生保健利用增加、关系困难和职业失败。虽然有几种药物和社会心理治疗方法，但这些都是治标不治本的，对大多数患者来说，现有的治疗方法无法缓解症状和损害。基因研究是发现新的生物治疗途径的一种方法。但是，由于多动症是一种由许多基因引起的复杂遗传疾病，因此需要大量的合作研究来发现基因。因此，本次会议的目标是通过将ADHD遗传学研究人员聚集在一起，以一种促进合作的方式来克服合作的障碍。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We are proposing to continue a multi-year conference grant that has provided a forum for researchers to pursue collaborative studies of the molecular genetics of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The original application was conceived in response to a call from the NIMH for researchers to establish mechanisms for collaborating in a manner that would facilitate the detection of genes predisposing to psychiatric disorders. ADHD is a common disorder of childhood associated with school failure, psychiatric comorbidity and psychosocial disability. Because family and twin studies suggest that ADHD has a substantial genetic component, several research groups have been pursuing molecular genetic studies of the disorder. These studies have already produced several meta-analytic findings implicating the DRD4, DAT1, DRD5, SNAP-25, and 5HT1B genes in the etiology of ADHD. Although these findings are intriguing, they have not led to new pathways for treatment. Because genomewide linkage studies have been equivocal and a genomewide association scan of 938 ADHD trios found no genomewide significant associations, susceptibility genes for ADHD must, individually, have very small effects. Thus, discovering replicated associations for ADHD will require large samples and collaborative efforts. Collaborative strategies have been successful for diabetes, Crohn's disease and other complex disorders, but they required very large samples. Despite the need for collaboration, collaboration can be difficult. Many investigators are concerned that large collaborative studies will dilute the scientific impact of their work and will make it difficult for junior investigators to establish independent reputations. Moreover, when collaborations are considered, they frequently face hurdles that cannot be surmounted. For example, clinical traditions at each site often clash regarding what diagnostic instruments are appropriate for use. This leads to the creation of data sets that are not easily combined with one another. Although we have begun to work out many of these issues at prior conferences, we need to continue the series to build upon those achievements and to complete the collaborative plans laid out in prior conferences. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common psychiatric disorder of childhood, affecting 8 to 12 percent of youth. The disorder creates impairments in multiple life domains including school failure, substance abuse, antisocial behavior, traffic accidents, increased non-psychiatric health care utilization, relationship difficulties and occupational failure. Although several pharmacologic and psychosocial treatments are available, these are palliative, not curative and no available treatment leads to remission of symptoms and impairments for most patients. Genetic studies are one method of discovering new biological pathways for treatment. But, because ADHD is a complex genetic disorder caused by many genes, large collaborative studies are needed for gene discovery. Thus, the goal of the proposed conference series is to overcome hurdles to collaboration by bringing ADHD genetics researchers together in a manner that promotes collaborative work.