Abstract
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a psychiatric disorder emerging in early childhood with an average prevalence rate of 5% in children and 3.7% in adults. ADHD is characterized by inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity. This, combined with educational and social dysfunctions, and increased risk of mental
comorbidities, makes ADHD a disorder with high individual and societal costs. We use Drosophila melanogaster as a model to investigate the phenotypic consequences of gene disruption of 14 genes with human orthologs,
selected by their proposed contribution to increased risk of developing ADHD. We use Minos mutants, where target genes have been disrupted by the Minos transposable element, to test the effect on locomotor activity.
By measuring the distance traveled, we find disparity in locomotor activity between control and Minos mutants. Impaired dopamine system underlies the majority of ADHD symptoms, and effective treatment is achieved with
amphetamines. We fed flies with either 1.5 mg/ml dexamphetamine dissolved in 5% w/w sucrose or a 5% w/w sucrose solution. Treatment with dexamphetamine increased activity of controls and some Minos lines, and decreased activity levels for other mutants. Decreased activity level, when treated with dexamphetamine, is seen when using other ADHD animal models. Our findings suggest involvement of the proposed candidate genes Genes, Brain, and Behavior 2015 36 Talk Abstracts in hyperactivity in D. melanogaster, providing functional evidence for their association with ADHD. Additional studies investigating conditional gene inactivation using UAS-GAL4 systems will further elucidate the importance of the investigated genes.
comorbidities, makes ADHD a disorder with high individual and societal costs. We use Drosophila melanogaster as a model to investigate the phenotypic consequences of gene disruption of 14 genes with human orthologs,
selected by their proposed contribution to increased risk of developing ADHD. We use Minos mutants, where target genes have been disrupted by the Minos transposable element, to test the effect on locomotor activity.
By measuring the distance traveled, we find disparity in locomotor activity between control and Minos mutants. Impaired dopamine system underlies the majority of ADHD symptoms, and effective treatment is achieved with
amphetamines. We fed flies with either 1.5 mg/ml dexamphetamine dissolved in 5% w/w sucrose or a 5% w/w sucrose solution. Treatment with dexamphetamine increased activity of controls and some Minos lines, and decreased activity levels for other mutants. Decreased activity level, when treated with dexamphetamine, is seen when using other ADHD animal models. Our findings suggest involvement of the proposed candidate genes Genes, Brain, and Behavior 2015 36 Talk Abstracts in hyperactivity in D. melanogaster, providing functional evidence for their association with ADHD. Additional studies investigating conditional gene inactivation using UAS-GAL4 systems will further elucidate the importance of the investigated genes.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Genes, Brain, and Behavior 2015 : 17th Annual Meeting of the International Behavioural and Neural Genetics Society |
| Number of pages | 1 |
| Place of Publication | Uppsala |
| Publication date | 19 May 2015 |
| Pages | 35 |
| Publication status | Published - 19 May 2015 |
| Externally published | Yes |
| Event | 17th IBANGS Meeting 2015: The 17th Annual Genes, Brain & Behavior Meeting - Uppsala, Sweden Duration: 19 May 2015 → 22 May 2015 |
Conference
| Conference | 17th IBANGS Meeting 2015 |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | Sweden |
| City | Uppsala |
| Period | 19/05/2015 → 22/05/2015 |