Parkinson's disease and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be genetically linked, with effects on brain volume, a large study has found.
"There is strong evidence that ADHD and Parkinson's have a biological basis, and this research is a necessary step to understanding and eventually treating these conditions more effectively," said Professor Miguel Rentería of Queensland Institute of Medical Research in Australia, principal investigator of the study, in a statement.
The paper published in scientific journal Nature on Monday brought together more than 1,000 research labs in 45 countries, with work from 189 researchers looking at the DNA and brains of nearly 75,000 participants.
It found that some brain differences were linked to genetic variations that seemed to carry a higher risk for both Parkinson's disease and ADHD.
"Our findings suggest that genetic influences that underpin individual differences in brain structure may be fundamental to understanding the underlying causes of brain-related disorders," said Rentería.
Parkinson's disease is a brain condition that causes problems with movement, mental health, sleep, pain, and cognition. There is no cure, and symptoms gradually get worse over time.
ADHD is a common neurodevelopment disorder that usually occurs in children and may continue into adulthood. It may involve problems with concentration, focus, hyperactivity and impulsivity.
Rates of Parkinson's disease and ADHD are rising globally and in the U.S., according to the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"A lot of brain diseases are known to be partially genetic, but from a scientific point of view we want to find the specific changes in the genetic code that cause these," said Professor Paul M. Thompson of the University of Southern California (USC), principal investigator for the data used in the study, in a statement.
"This paper, for the first time, pinpoints exactly where these genes act in the brain."
Researchers used data from the Enhancing Neuro Imaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA) consortium—an international effort led by Keck School of Medicine, USC—as well as from Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) and the U.K. Biobank and the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study.
Neuroscientists collected DNA samples and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans to analyze brain volume in specific regions and compare this with genetic variations.
They identified 254 genetic variants as key to shaping structures in the "deep brain," including those that control memory, motor skills, addictive behaviors and the processing of sensory information.
"Our findings suggest that genetic influences that underpin individual differences in brain structure may be fundamental to understanding the underlying causes of brain-related disorders," Rentería said.
However, the study is observational, meaning the researchers could only identify correlations between brain volume and genes, rather than causal relationships.
"By conducting this research all over the world, we're beginning to home in on what has been called 'the genetic essence of humanity,'" Thompson said, adding that this research provided the beginnings of a road map for how scientists could intervene with brain health.
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Reference
García-Marín, L. M., Campos, A. I., Diaz-Torres, S., Rabinowitz, J. A., Ceja, Z., Mitchell, B. L., Grasby, K. L., Thorp, J. G., Agartz, I., Alhusaini, S., Ames, D., Amouyel, P., Andreassen, O. A., Arfanakis, K., Arias-Vasquez, A., Armstrong, N. J., Athanasiu, L., Bastin, M. E., Beiser, A. S., … Rentería, M. E. (2024). Genomic analysis of intracranial and subcortical brain volumes yields polygenic scores accounting for variation across ancestries. Nature Genetics. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-024-01951-z
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