The dopamine transporter gene is associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in a Taiwanese sample

Genetic variation of the dopamine transporter gene (DAT1) is of particular interest in the study of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), since stimulant drugs interact directly with the transporter protein. Association between ADHD and the 10-repeat allele of a 40-bp VNTR polymorphism that lies within the 3'-UTR of DAT1 was first reported in 1995, a finding that has been replicated in at least six independent samples from Caucasian populations. We analysed the DAT1 polymorphism in a sample of 110 Taiwanese probands with a DSM-IV diagnosis of ADHD and found evidence of increased transmission of the 10-repeat allele using TRANSMIT (chi(2)=10.8, 1 d.f., p=0.001, OR=2.9, 95% CI 1.4-6.3). These data give rise to a similar odds ratio to that observed in Caucasian poplulations despite a far higher frequency of the risk allele in this Taiwanese population; 82.3% in the un-transmitted parental alleles and 94.5% in the ADHD probands. These data support the role of DAT1 in ADHD susceptibility among Asian populations.