Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38827976›Full record

ArticleJCPP advances2024

Intergenerational transmission of genetic risk for hyperactivity and inattention. Direct genetic transmission or genetic nurture?

Ivan Voronin, Isabelle Ouellet-Morin, Amélie Petitclerc, Geneviève Morneau-Vaillancourt, Mara Brendgen, Ginette Dione, Frank Vitaro, Michel Boivin

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JCPP advances, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Research Review: A review of the past decade of family and genomic studies on adolescent mental health.Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines · 2025
    Review
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Ivan VoroninÉcole de psychologie Université Laval Québec Quebec Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9863-177X
Isabelle Ouellet-MorinSchool of Criminology University of Montreal The Research Center of the Montreal Mental Health University Institute and the Research Group on Child Maladjustment Montréal Quebec Canada.
Amélie PetitclercÉcole de psychologie Université Laval Québec Quebec Canada.
Geneviève Morneau-VaillancourtSocial, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience King's College London London UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5322-6252
Mara BrendgenDépartement de Psychologie Université du Québec à Montréal Montréal Quebec Canada.
Ginette DioneÉcole de psychologie Université Laval Québec Quebec Canada.
Frank VitaroÉcole de Psychoéducation Université de Montréal Montréal Quebec Canada.
Michel BoivinÉcole de psychologie Université Laval Québec Quebec Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8621-9844

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Hyperactivity and inattention, the symptoms of ADHD, are marked by high levels of heritability and intergenerational transmission. Two distinct pathways of genetic intergenerational transmission are distinguished: direct genetic transmission when parental genetic variants are passed to the child's genome and genetic nurture when the parental genetic background contributes to the child's outcomes through rearing environment. This study assessed genetic contributions to hyperactivity and inattention in childhood through these transmission pathways. Methods: The sample included 415 families from the Quebec Newborn Twin Study. Twins' hyperactivity and inattention were assessed in early childhood by parents and in primary school by teachers. The polygenic scores for ADHD (ADHD-PGS) and educational attainment (EA-PGS) were computed from twins' and parents' genotypes. A model of intergenerational transmission was developed to estimate (1) the contributions of parents' and children's PGS to the twins' ADHD symptoms and (2) whether these variances were explained by genetic transmission and/or genetic nurture. Results: ADHD-PGS explained up to 1.6% of the variance of hyperactivity and inattention in early childhood and primary school. EA-PGS predicted ADHD symptoms at both ages, explaining up to 1.6% of the variance in early childhood and up to 5.5% in primary school. Genetic transmission was the only significant transmission pathway of both PGS. The genetic nurture channeled through EA-PGS explained up to 3.2% of the variance of inattention in primary school but this association was non-significant. Conclusions: Genetic propensities to ADHD and education predicted ADHD symptoms in childhood, especially in primary school. Its intergenerational transmission was driven primarily by genetic variants passed to the child, rather than by environmentally mediated parental genetic effects. The model developed in this study can be leveraged in future research to investigate genetic transmission and genetic nurture while accounting for parental assortative mating.

Indexed as

ADHDeducational attainmenthyperactivityinattentionintergenerational transmissionpolygenic score

Identifiers

PMID38827976
PMCPMC11143957

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.