Association of norepinephrine transporter gene polymorphisms in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in Korean population

- The association of three single nucleotide polymorphisms of the norepinephrine transporter gene SLC6A2 with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder were explored.
- In the haplotype analysis, the most common T-A-G haplotype was related to an increased risk of ADHD in females (p = 0.002).
- G allele might have some protective effect against development of ADHD symptoms.

We investigated the association of three single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNP) of the norepinephrine transporter (NET) gene SLC6A2, T-182C (rs2242446), A-3081T (rs28386840), and G-1287A (rs5569) with the prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), its clinical severity, and other disease-related characteristics in a Korean population. The genotype, allele frequency and haplotype of 103 ADHD patients and 173 controls were analyzed for these three SNPs. All participants completed the Korean version of the ADHD Rating Scale (K-ARS). The ADHD group also completed the Korean Educational Development Institute-Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (KEDI-WISC) and the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) in a drug-naive state.The χ2 test and logistic regression analysis revealed no significant differences in the genotype distribution or allele frequencies of each SNP between the ADHD group and the control. In the haplotype analysis, the most common T-A-G haplotype was related to an increased risk of ADHD in females (P = 0.002). There was no statistical significance between clinical features of ADHD and any specific allele of each SNP after multiple test correction except lower omission error in non-A girl carriers (GG type) of G-1287A (carrier 76.75 ± 18.74, non-carrier 55.00 ± 9.26, t = 3.026, P = 0.007, Bonferroni-corrected P = 0.042). Some values related A-3081 and G-1287A showed a trend approaching the significance level when analyzed separately by gender. Even though it was not statistically meaningful after multiple test correction, G allele might have some protective effect against development of ADHD symptoms and this finding was consistent with previous studies.