Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): complex phenotype, simple genotype?

Complex genetic traits refer to those phenotypes not fitting patterns of Mendelian segregation and/or assortment but exhibiting a preferential familial clustering that cannot be explained by cultural or environmental causes. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common neurodevelopmental disorder of childhood and probably the most controversial. ADHD has been considered a complex genetic trait based upon the absence of a clear-cut boundary between affected and unaffected status. Furthermore, its high comorbidity with other disorders strongly suggests complex epistatic or pleiotropic effects acting in common with the environmental influences. This implies that the same gene or genes is or are associated with different and concurrently occurring phenotypes. In this study, we will review clinical and epidemiological aspects related to the ADHD phenotype, which are considered either as categorical or continuous traits. We also will discuss genetic models underlying the complexity of this behavioral phenotype and the probable role of epistatic interactions between major genes contributing to the ADHD phenotype.