Study of the Serotonergic Gene 5-HT1B as a Risk Factor for the Development of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD)

Abstract

ADHD is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that affects mainly children below age of 12 years and symptoms might continue into adolescents (Ginsberg et al., 2014). Patients with ADHD might show persistent pattern of attention deficits, hyperactivity or impulsiveness that is not appropriate for the patient’s age leading to various degrees of functional impairment (Kooij et al., 2010; Polanczyk et al., 2014). Although the precise etiology of ADHD is still controversial, complex interactions between multiple genetic and environmental risk factors have been suggested (ADHD Institute, 2015). Serotonin dysregulation has been related to impulsive behavior in children, and thus has been hypothesized to play a causal role in ADHD (Kranzler et al., 2002; Banaschewski et al., 2010)