Nudge theory and gambling: a scoping review.

Background: Gambling disorder (GD) is a pressing public health concern with significant societal costs. The recently developed nudge theory, which is rooted in behavioral economics, aims to influence the decision-making behaviors of individuals by implementing changes in the environment.

Aim: This scoping review aims to synthesize the literature on nudge theory as it relates to gambling.

Correlation of the methylomic signature of smoking during pregnancy with clinical traits in ADHD.

Background: Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a highly prevalent childhood disorder. Maternal smoking during pregnancy is a replicated environmental risk factor for this disorder. It is also a robust modifier of gene methylation during the prenatal developmental period.

The orphan receptor GPR88 controls impulsivity and is a risk factor for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

The neural orphan G protein coupled receptor GPR88 is predominant in the striatum and cortex of both rodents and humans, and considered a potential target for brain disorders. Previous studies have shown multiple behavioral phenotypes in Gpr88 knockout mice, and human genetic studies have reported association with psychosis. Here we tested the possibility that GPR88 contributes to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Sex-dependent complex association of TPH2 with multiple dimensions of ADHD.

Background: Tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (TPH2) is a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of serotonin in the brain. This study aims to investigate the role of a functional variant in TPH2 (rs17110747) in the pathophysiology of ADHD. This variant has been implicated in mood disorders in recent meta-analysis.

Association between COMT methylation and response to treatment in children with ADHD.

Background: COMT had been considered a promising candidate gene in pharmacogenetic studies in ADHD; yet the findings from these studies have been inconsistent. Part of these inconsistencies could be related to epigenetic mechanisms (including DNA methylation). Here we investigated the role of genetic variants of the COMT gene on the methylation levels of CpG sites in the same gene and explored the effect of methylation on methylphenidate (MPH) and placebo (PBO) response in children with ADHD.

Facing the Methodological Challenge in Dissecting the Genetics of ADHD: A Case for Deep Phenotyping and Heterogeneity Reduction.

Objective: The aetiology of ADHD is complex, with genetic and environmental factors both implicated in the disorder. The most recent ADHD genome-wide association study identified 12 loci that showed significant association with the disorder. However, as highlighted by the authors, these loci "only capture a tiny fraction" of the risk for ADHD.

Acute blood pressure change with methylphenidate is associated with improvement in attention performance in children with ADHD.

This exploratory study aims to determine whether the change in systolic blood pressure (sBP) after acute methylphenidate (MPH) administration (ΔBP) is associated with the neurocognitive response to MPH in the Conners Continuous Performance Test (CPT) in 513 children with ADHD (aged 6 to 12 years old). We noted that higher increases in sBP were associated with larger improvement in CPT performance with MPH. In the univariate regression model, the ΔBP accounted for an additional 2% of the variance in the change in CPT-Overall Index (OI) after controlling for covariates (p < .

Dissecting genetic cross-talk between ADHD and other neurodevelopmental disorders: Evidence from behavioural, pharmacological and brain imaging investigations.

Several epidemiological and genetic studies have provided evidence of an overlap between neurodevelopmental disorders. However, the details of the etiological pathways remain to be elucidated. In this study, we garnered the findings of previous GWAS, conducted with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Placebo response and its determinants in children with ADHD across multiple observers and settings: A randomized clinical trial.

This study aims to quantify placebo response (PR) in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as assessed by parents and teachers and to explore some of its determinants. Five hundred and forty children with ADHD (ages 6-12) were recruited to a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial with methylphenidate. The main outcome variable was Conners' Global Index (CGI), based on assessment of behaviour by parents (CGI-P) and teacher (CGI-T).

Apgar Scores Are Associated with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptom Severity.

Objective: Adverse events during pregnancy and delivery have been linked to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Previous studies have investigated Apgar scores, which assess the physical condition of newborns, in relation to the risk of developing ADHD. We propose to go one step further and examine if Apgar scores are associated with ADHD symptom severity in children already diagnosed with ADHD.

Increased Risk of Asthma in Children with ADHD: Role of Prematurity and Maternal Stress during Pregnancy.

Objective: ADHD and asthma are prevalent conditions in childhood, with complex pathophysiology involving genetic-environmental interplay. The study objective is to examine the prevalence of asthma in our ADHD population and explore factors that may increase the risk of developing asthma in children with ADHD.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the presence of maternal stress during pregnancy and history of asthma in 201 children diagnosed with ADHD.

The Effect of Maternal Stress during Pregnancy on IQ and ADHD Symptomatology.

Objective: Maternal stress during pregnancy (MSDP) has been linked to a decrease in Intelligence Quotient (IQ) in the general population. The purpose of this study is to first examine the association between MSDP and IQ in children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and second, to confirm, in a large sample, the link between MSDP and ADHD behavioral symptomatology.

Methods: Four hundred ten children diagnosed with ADHD, ages six to 12, were consecutively recruited from the ADHD clinic and day hospital at the Douglas Institute from 1999 to 2013.

Parental psychopathology in families of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and exposed to maternal smoking during pregnancy.

Background: Both genetic and environmental factors have been implicated in the etiology of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We had previously suggested that exposure to maternal smoking during pregnancy (MSDP) may be a valid basis for delineating a distinct subtype of ADHD, where children exposed to MSDP present with a more severe clinical picture. Here, we examine the psychopathology of parents in this group, to better understand the etiology of ADHD.

Association between obesity-related gene FTO and ADHD.

Objective: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is an etiologically complex heterogeneous behavioral disorder. Several studies have reported that ADHD subjects are more likely to be overweight/obese and that this comorbidity may be due to shared genetic factors. The objective of this study is to explore the association between ADHD and FTO, a gene strongly associated with obesity in genome-wide studies.

Body weight and ADHD: examining the role of self-regulation.

Objective: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a complex and heterogeneous childhood disorder that often coexists with other psychiatric and somatic disorders. Recently, a link between ADHD and body weight dysregulation has been reported and often interpreted as impaired self-regulation that is shared between the two conditions. The objective of this study is to investigate the relation between body weight/BMI and cognitive, emotional and motor characteristics in children with ADHD.

Genetic evidence for the association of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis with ADHD and methylphenidate treatment response.

Exposure to stressors results in a spectrum of autonomic, endocrine, and behavioral responses. A key pathway in this response to stress is the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which results in a transient increase in circulating cortisol, which exerts its effects through the two related ligand-activated transcription factors: the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and mineralocorticoid receptor (MR). Genetic polymorphisms in these receptors have been shown to influence HPA axis reactivity, and chronic dysregulation of the HPA axis has been associated with the development of several psychiatric disorders.

Refining psychiatric phenotypes for response to treatment: contribution of LPHN3 in ADHD.

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a heterogeneous disorder characterized by inappropriate levels of attention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Although a strong genetic component to the disorder has been established, the molecular genetic underpinnings of this disorder remain elusive. Recently, several studies have reported an association between polymorphisms within the latrophilin 3 gene (LPHN3) and ADHD.

LPHN3 and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: interaction with maternal stress during pregnancy.

Background: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a heterogeneous behavioral disorder, complex both in etiology and clinical expression. Both genetic and environmental factors have been implicated, and it has been suggested that gene-environment interactions may play a pivotal role in the disorder. Recently, a significant association was reported between ADHD and LPHN3 (which codes for latrophilin 3), and replicated in independent samples.

Maternal Stress during Pregnancy, ADHD Symptomatology in Children and Genotype: Gene-Environment Interaction.

Objective: Case control studies suggest a relationship between maternal stress during pregnancy and childhood ADHD. However, maternal smoking, parenting style and parental psychiatric disorder are possible confounding factors. Our objective was to control for these factors by using an intra-familial design, and investigate gene-environment interactions.

Differential association between the norepinephrine transporter gene and ADHD: role of sex and subtype.

Background: Pharmacologic and animal studies have strongly implicated the norepinephrine transporter (NET) in the pathophysiology of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We conducted a family-based study, with stratification based on sex and subtype, to test the association between 30 tag single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the gene encoding NET (SLC6A2) and ADHD.

Methods: Family-based association tests were conducted with the categorical diagnosis of ADHD, as well as quantitative phenotypes of clinical relevance (Conners Global Index for Teachers and Parents, and Child Behavior Checklist measures).

Effects of prenatal infection on prepulse inhibition in the rat depend on the nature of the infectious agent and the stage of pregnancy.

Maternal infection during pregnancy is a risk factor for some psychiatric illnesses of neurodevelopmental origin such as schizophrenia and autism. In experimental animals, behavioral and neuropathological outcomes relevant to schizophrenia have been observed in offspring of infected dams. However, the type of infectious agent used and gestational age at time of administration have varied.

Identification of informative strains and provisional QTL mapping of amphetamine (AMPH)-induced locomotion in recombinant congenic strains (RCS) of mice.

Amphetamine (AMPH)-induced locomotor activity is a rodent behavioral trait that reflects mesolimbic dopaminergic activity. To identify potential quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with this behavior, we used 34 recombinant congenic strains (RCSs) of mice derived from A/J (A strains) and C57BL/6J (B strains) and measured AMPH-induced total distance traveled (AMPH-TDIST). Two strains in the A panel (A52 and A63) showed significantly elevated AMPH-TDIST compared to the parental A/J strain and behaved similarly to C57BL/6J.

The viral mimic, polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid, induces fever in rats via an interleukin-1-dependent mechanism.

Polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly I:C) is a synthetic double-stranded RNA that is used experimentally to model viral infections in vivo. Previous studies investigating the inflammatory properties of this agent in rodents demonstrated that it is a potent pyrogen. However, the mechanisms underlying this response have not been fully elucidated.

Maternal exposure to bacterial endotoxin during pregnancy enhances amphetamine-induced locomotion and startle responses in adult rat offspring.

An increased incidence of schizophrenia has been associated with several perinatal insults, most notably maternal infection during pregnancy and perinatal hypoxia. This study used a rat model to directly test if maternal exposure to bacterial endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) during pregnancy alters behaviors relevant to schizophrenia, in offspring at adulthood. The study also tested if postnatal anoxia interacted with gestational LPS exposure to affect behavior.