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. 2004 Oct;43(10):1267-75.
doi: 10.1097/01.chi.0000135622.05219.bf.

Genetic and environmental contributions to stability and change of ADHD symptoms between 8 and 13 years of age: a longitudinal twin study

Jan-Olov Larsson  1 , Henrik Larsson, Paul Lichtenstein
Affiliations

Genetic and environmental contributions to stability and change of ADHD symptoms between 8 and 13 years of age: a longitudinal twin study

Jan-Olov Larsson et al. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2004 Oct.

Abstract

Objective: To study the genetic and environmental contributions to stability and change of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms between 8 and 9 and 13 and 14 years of age.

Method: The sample included 1,480 twin pairs born in Sweden between May 1985 and December 1986. At wave 1 in 1994, when twins were 8-9 years old, 1,106 (75%) of the parents responded to a mailed questionnaire, and at wave 2 when the twins were 13-14 years old, 1,063 (73%) responded. A checklist with 14 items based on the 14 DSM-III-R symptoms for ADHD was completed. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data.

Results: A relatively high stability of ADHD symptoms over this 5-year period was found. This continuity was mainly due to the same genetic effects operating at both points in time. Change in symptoms between childhood and early adolescence was to a large extent due to new genetic effects in early adolescence but also due to new nonshared environmental effects that became important during adolescence.

Conclusions: The genetic stability highlights the importance of the continuing search for genes and endophenotypes of ADHD.

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Comment in

  • Twin study of the longitudinal course of ADHD.
    Reiersen AM. Reiersen AM. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2005 Jul;44(7):625-6; author reply 626-7. doi: 10.1097/01.chi.0000162576.17579.9a. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2005. PMID: 15968224 No abstract available.

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