Human endogenous retroviruses and ADHD. (August 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Balestrieri, Emanuela; Pitzianti, Mariabernarda; Matteucci, Claudia; D'Agati, Elisa; Sorrentino, Roberta; Baratta, Antonia; Caterina, Rosa; Zenobi, Rossella; Curatolo, Paolo; Garaci, Enrico; Sinibaldi-Vallebona, Paola; Pasini, Augusto
• Is Part Of: World journal of biological psychiatry. Volume 15:Number 6(2014)
• Page Start: 499
• Page End: 504
• Publication Date: 2014-08
• Subjects: Biological psychiatry -- Periodicals; Biological Psychiatry -- Periodicals; 616.89
• DOI: 10.3109/15622975.2013.862345
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1562-2975

Abstract

<abstract> <title>Abstract</title> <p> <italic>Objectives.</italic> Several lines of evidences suggest that human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are implicated in the development of many complex diseases with a multifactorial aetiology and a strong heritability, such as neurological and psychiatric diseases. Attention deficit hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that results from a complex interaction of environmental, biological and genetic factors. Our aim was to analyse the expression levels of three HERV families (HERV-H, K and W) in patients with ADHD. <italic>Methods.</italic> The expression of retroviral mRNAs from the three HERV families was evaluated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 30 patients with ADHD and 30 healthy controls by quantitative RT-PCR. <italic>Results.</italic> The expression levels of HERV-H are significantly higher in patients with ADHD compared to healthy controls, while there are no differences in the expression levels of HERV-K and W. <italic>Conclusions.</italic> Since the ADHD aetiology is due to a complex interaction of environmental, biological and genetic factors, HERVs may represent one link among these factors and clinical phenotype of ADHD. A future confirmation of HERV-H overexpression in a larger number of ADHD patients will make possible to identify it as a new parameter for this clinical condition, also contributing to deepen the study on the role of HERVs in the neurodevelopment diseases.</p> </abstract>