Study: ADHD gene may have helped early humans
A short attention span may not be conducive to learning in a
classroom, but it may be related to behavior that at one time helped
humans explore new environments and survive, according to UC Irvine
researchers.
The study, released last week, shows that a variant form of a gene
associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) indicates
that the disorder is a fairly recent condition and may once have helped
humans thrive.
Robert Moyzis, professor of biological chemistry, and his colleagues
studied genes from 600 people around the world. They found 56 variations
of a gene, one of which was strongly associated with the disorder.
This variation was created between 10,000 and 40,000 years ago and may
have provided an evolutionary advantage at some time in human history.
But the study could not determine if this evolutionary selection is still
occurring.
ADHD is the most common disorder in early childhood and affects about
3% of all elementary school children in the U.S. The condition is
characterized by developmentally inappropriate conduct, lack of attention
and impulsive and hyperactive behavior, which all usually occur before a
child becomes 7 years old.
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