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Genetic and environmental contribution to the overlap between ADHD and ASD trait dimensions in young adults: a twin study
Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
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2019 (English)In: Psychological Medicine, ISSN 0033-2917, E-ISSN 1469-8978, Vol. 49, no 10, p. 1713-1721Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

BACKGROUND: Traits of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are strongly associated in children and adolescents, largely due to genetic factors. Less is known about the phenotypic and aetiological overlap between ADHD and ASD traits in adults.

METHODS: We studied 6866 individuals aged 20-28 years from the Swedish Study of Young Adult Twins. Inattention (IA) and hyperactivity/impulsivity (HI) were assessed using the WHO Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale-V1.1. Repetitive and restricted behaviours (RRB) and social interaction and communication (SIC) were assessed using the Autism-Tics, ADHD, and other Comorbidities inventory. We used structural equation modelling to decompose covariance between these ADHD and ASD trait dimensions into genetic and shared/non-shared environmental components.

RESULTS: At the phenotypic level, IA was similarly correlated with RRB (r = 0.33; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.31-0.36) and with SIC (r = 0.32; 95% CI 0.29-0.34), whereas HI was more strongly associated with RRB (r = 0.38; 95% CI 0.35-0.40) than with SIC (r = 0.24; 95% CI 0.21-0.26). Genetic and non-shared environmental effects accounted for similar proportions of the phenotypic correlations, whereas shared environmental effects were of minimal importance. The highest genetic correlation was between HI and RRB (r = 0.56; 95% 0.46-0.65), and the lowest was between HI and SIC (r = 0.33; 95% CI 0.23-0.43).

CONCLUSIONS: We found evidence for dimension-specific phenotypic and aetiological overlap between ADHD and ASD traits in adults. Future studies investigating mechanisms underlying comorbidity between ADHD and ASD may benefit from exploring several symptom-dimensions, rather than considering only broad diagnostic categories.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Cambridge University Press, 2019. Vol. 49, no 10, p. 1713-1721
Keywords [en]
Adulthood, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, hyperactivity/impulsivity, inattention, quantitative genetics, repetitive and restricted behaviours, social interaction and communication
National Category
Psychiatry Psychology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-71731DOI: 10.1017/S003329171800243XISI: 000474727300014PubMedID: 30191778Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85053053789OAI: oai:DiVA.org:oru-71731DiVA, id: diva2:1281852
Funder
Swedish Research Council, 2014-3831
Note

Funding Agencies:

European Union  643051 

European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP Network 'ADHD across the Lifespan')  

German Research Foundation  FR2069/8-1 

Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO)  016-130-669 

Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health  

National Institute of Health Research  NGF-SI-0616-10040 

Available from: 2019-01-23 Created: 2019-01-23 Last updated: 2019-11-08Bibliographically approved

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