Confirmation that a specific haplotype of the dopamine transporter gene is associated with combined-type ADHD

OBJECTIVE: The primary purpose of this study was to confirm the association of a specific haplotype of the dopamine transporter gene and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which could be one source of the heterogeneity seen across published studies. METHOD: The authors previously reported the association of ADHD with a subgroup of chromosomes containing specific alleles of two variable-number tandem repeat polymorphisms within the 3' untranslated region and intron 8 of the dopamine transporter gene. They now report on this association in a sample of ADHD combined-type probands. RESULTS: The original observations were confirmed, with an overall odds ratio of 1.4 across samples. CONCLUSIONS: These data challenge results of meta-analyses suggesting that dopamine transporter variation does not have an effect on the risk for ADHD, and they indicate that further investigation of functional variation in the gene is required.