Polymorphisms in the neural nicotinic acetylcholine receptor α4 subunit (CHRNA4) are associated with ADHD in a genetic isolate.

The neural nicotinic acetylcholine receptor α4 subunit (CHRNA4), at 20q13.2-q13.3, is an important candidate gene for conferring susceptibility to attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Environmental influences that affect attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder: study of a genetic isolate.

Three independent complex segregation analyses found that the cause of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) was the presence of major genes interacting with environmental influences. In order to identify potential environmental risk factors for ADHD in the Paisa community--a very well described, genetically isolated group--we randomly selected a sample of 486 children between 6 and 11 years of age. This group included 200 children with ADHD (149 males and 51 females) and 286 healthy controls (135 males and 151 females).

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and comorbid disruptive behavior disorders: evidence of pleiotropy and new susceptibility loci.

Background: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) comorbid with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) or conduct disorder (CD) and substance abuse/dependence seems to represent a specific subset within the phenotypic ADHD spectrum.

Methods: We applied complex segregation and linkage analyses in a set of multigenerational families densely segregating ADHD comorbid with ODD, CD, alcohol abuse/dependence, and nicotine dependence.

Results: Our data suggest that ADHD cosegregates with disruptive behaviors as a unique, phenotypically variable trait as evidenced by highly significant pair-wise linkages among: ADHD and ODD (logarithm of odds [LOD]=14.

[Evaluation of the ELISA method for diagnosis of human cysticercosis in an endemic region].

Introduction: Cysticercosis is a worldwide public health problem. Currently it is diagnosed by detection of specific antibodies or by imaging techniques.

Objective: To evaluate an alternative diagnostic tool, a simple antibody detection assay, called Dot ELISA, for immunological diagnosis of patients with neurocysticercosis as well as for endemic population screening.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in a population isolate: linkage to loci at 4q13.2, 5q33.3, 11q22, and 17p11.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD [MIM 143465]) is the most common behavioral disorder of childhood. Twin, adoption, segregation, association, and linkage studies have confirmed that genetics plays a major role in conferring susceptibility to ADHD. We applied model-based and model-free linkage analyses, as well as the pedigree disequilibrium test, to the results of a genomewide scan of extended and multigenerational families with ADHD from a genetic isolate.

Prevalence of Parkinson's disease and parkinsonism in a Colombian population using the capture-recapture method.

Our objective was to estimate the prevalence of Parkinson's disease (PD) and Parkinsonism (Ps) in Antioquia (Colombia), using the Capture-Recapture method. The two biggest institutions for attending neurological patients in Antioquia were selected as sources for the use of the Capture-Recapture method. Prevalences of PD (PPD) and Ps (PPs) were estimated according to the following expression: PPD (or PPs) = n/Nl105.