Refining patterns of MEF2C effects in white matter microstructure and psychiatric features.

Several GWAS reported Myocyte Enhancer Factor 2 C (MEF2C) gene associations with white matter microstructure and psychiatric disorders, and MEF2C involvement in pathways related to neuronal development suggests a common biological factor underlying these phenotypes. We aim to refine the MEF2C effects in the brain relying on an integrated analysis of white matter and psychiatric phenotypes in an extensively characterized sample. This study included 870 Brazilian adults (47% from an attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder outpatient clinic) assessed through standardized psychiatric interviews, 139 of which underwent a magnetic resonance imaging scan.

The course of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder through midlife.

The course of ADHD from childhood up to young adulthood has been characterized in several studies. However, little is known about the course of symptoms into middle age and beyond. This study aims to evaluate predictors of ADHD trajectories in midlife based on three assessments.

Does collateral retrospective information about childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms assist in the diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in adults? Findings from a large clinical sample.

Objectives: In accordance with consolidated clinical practice, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition suggests a key role of collateral information in the evaluation of retrospective childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms in adults despite poor evidence supporting its use. This study aims to assess the incremental value of collateral information on the presence of childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms when evaluating adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Methods: Adult patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (n = 449) and non-attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder subjects (n = 143) underwent an extensive clinical assessment based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition criteria.

The role of a mineralocorticoid receptor gene functional polymorphism in the symptom dimensions of persistent ADHD.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects approximately 5 % of school-aged children and 2.5 % of adults. Genetic studies in ADHD have pointed to genes in different neurobiological systems, with relatively small individual effects.

ADRA2A polymorphisms and ADHD in adults: possible mediating effect of personality.

Several studies have tested for the association between polymorphisms in the ADRA2A gene and childhood ADHD. A meta-analysis of these results, however, has pointed towards a significant heterogeneity, raising the need for explanatory studies. As the effect of other relevant clinical characteristics could be a possible source, we studied three polymorphisms in the ADRA2A gene (-1291 C>G-MspI or rs1800544; -262 G>A-HhaI or rs1800544; 1780 C>T-DraI or rs553668) in 403 adult patients with ADHD assessed in relation to comorbidity and personality characteristics, as well as in 232 controls.

[Interrater reliability for diagnosis in adults of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and oppositional defiant disorder using K-SADS-E].

The diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) in adults lacks adequate assessment instruments. The aim of this investigation is to evaluate the interrater reliability of the sections of K-SADS-E adapted for the diagnosis of these disorders among adults. The adaptations were limited to asking questions directly to the patient, investigation of a later onset of symptoms, and asking for adult specific symptoms.