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Updated: Feb 27, 2026
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Optimized Analysis of DNA Methylation and Gene Expression from Small, Anatomically-defined Areas of the Brain
Published on: July 12, 2012
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Locus-specific DNA methylation changes and phenotypic variability in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity
Sarojini M Sengupta1, Alicia K Smith2, Natalie Grizenko1
1Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Verdun, Quebec, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Psychiatry Research
|June 30, 2017
Summary
Maternal smoking during pregnancy may alter gene methylation in children with ADHD, potentially influencing symptom severity and birth weight. This epigenetic change in genes like AHRR and GFI1 warrants further investigation in larger studies.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Genetics
- Epigenetics
Background:
- Maternal smoking during pregnancy is a known risk factor for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
- Evidence suggests maternal smoking may influence ADHD severity, particularly its association with Conduct Disorder (CD).
- Epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation, are potential mechanisms linking environmental exposures to neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether maternal smoking during pregnancy is associated with differential DNA methylation in specific genes in children diagnosed with ADHD.
- To explore the relationship between methylation levels in candidate genes and ADHD/CD symptom severity, as well as birth weight.
Main Methods:
- DNA methylation analysis was performed on peripheral blood samples from children with ADHD.
- Two groups were compared: 25 children exposed to maternal smoking during pregnancy and 22 unexposed children.
- Methylation levels in three candidate genes (AHRR, CYP1A1, GFI1) were assessed and correlated with clinical phenotypes and birth weight using regression analysis.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in DNA methylation were found in all three candidate genes between the exposed and unexposed groups.
- Methylation levels in AHRR were significantly correlated with the number of Conduct Disorder symptoms.
- Methylation levels in GFI1 showed significant associations with the number of ADHD symptoms and birth weight.
Conclusions:
- Maternal smoking during pregnancy is associated with distinct DNA methylation patterns in children with ADHD.
- These epigenetic alterations may play a role in modulating ADHD and Conduct Disorder symptom severity and could impact birth weight.
- Further research in larger, independent samples is needed to confirm these findings and elucidate their clinical significance.
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