Intergenerational connection between ADHD and dementia

"The results of the study show that there are common genetic and/or environmental factors between ADHD and dementia

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity

In the past few decades, with the increase in people's awareness and understanding of ADHD, the number of new ADHD diagnoses has increased dramatically

In the current study, researchers hope to overcome this problem by examining the extent to which elderly people with ADHD are diagnosed with dementia

Researchers found that parents of people with ADHD had a 34% higher risk of dementia than parents of people without ADHD

The researchers pointed out that the absolute risk of dementia in parent groups is lower; during the follow-up period, only 0.

The second-degree relatives of ADHD patients, such as grandparents and uncles and aunts, have lower associations

Although this study cannot determine causality, the researchers have suggested several possible explanations that can be explored in future studies

Chang Zheng, a medical epidemiology and biostatistics researcher at Karolinska Institutet, said: “It is conceivable that there are some undiscovered genetic variants that affect both characteristics, or family environment risk factors, such as Socioeconomic status may have an impact on this association

Journal Reference :

Le Zhang, Ebba Du Rietz, Ralf Kuja-Halkola, Maja Dobrosavljevic, Kristina Johnell, Nancy L.