THURSDAY, Dec. 11, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- The same genes may be responsible for reading disability (RD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), says a study in the current issue of Molecular Psychiatry.
ADHD and RD are common childhood disorders that often occur together. About 20 percent to 25 percent of children with ADHD have RD. But the cause of this association is unclear, although previous studies have suggested a genetic link.
In this new study, American researchers investigated the reading ability of 233 siblings diagnosed with ADHD. The researchers identified four chromosomal regions as potential locations for genes underlying reading ability.
Three of those regions overlapped regions suggested from previous investigations of ADHD and one region overlapped a region suggested from previous studies of RD.
The researchers say the findings support the belief that common genes may play a part in both ADHD and RD. However, the findings also suggest that reading ability and RD have genetic underpinnings that are different from those associated with ADHD as well.
More research is needed to identify specific genetic variants underlying ADHD and RD and to find out if they are actually the same or different.
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