Detailed contribution information
| Contribution title | 2710 - Variation in the oxytocin receptor gene is associated with social cognition and ADHD |
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| Contribution code | PS01-03 (P) |
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| Form of presentation | Poster |
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| Abstract |
Objective: Children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show substantial deficits in social cognitive abilities. Oxytocin (OXT), mediated through its specific receptor (OXTR), is involved in the regulation of social behavior and social cognition. Methods: The entire coding sequence of the human OXT and OXTR genes were sequenced to identify mutations and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 151 children with ADHD (ADHD-combined, n=51; inattentive subtype, n=50; ADHD-combined plus conduct disorder, n= 50; 11-18 years) and 100 typically developing healthy children. Results: Three common SNPs (rs2228485, rs237902 and rs4686302) were detected in OXTR gene. We examined the association of these three SNPs of OXTR with social cognition deficits in ADHD and healthy children. Social cognition deficits were quantified by three advanced Theory of Mind (ToM) tasks and clinical symptoms. A significant association was shown between the children with ADHD and T allele carriers of rs4686302 (x2 = 3.695; p= 0,037). ADHD children carrying one or two OXTR rs4686302 T alleles performed significantly lower on the face emotion recognition task than those carrying two C alleles. Conclusions: OXTR gene rs4686302 polymorphism was shown to be an important genetic marker in modifying disease severity. Keywords: social cognition; oxytocin gene; oxytocin receptor gene; polymorphism; attention-deficit. |