Thapar and barrett reply
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Journal Article↗
Biomedical subjects
A Thapar
Publications and source records attributed to A Thapar.
Genetic basis of attention deficit and hyperactivity.
BACKGROUND: Hyperkinetic disorder or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is an important clinical condition. AIMS: The research evidence for a genetic contribution to ADHD is reviewed. METHOD: Measurement of the phenotype, the extent to which attention deficit and hyperactivity are heritable and molecular genetic findings are discussed. Future research directions are also considered. RESULTS: ADHD is a familial disorder. Available adoption evidence suggests genetic influences are important. Twin studies have primarily focused on trait measures which have consistently been found to be highly heritable Molecular genetic studies of clinical disorder so far have suggested the involvement of the dopamine DRD-4 receptor gene and dopamine transporter gene (DAT1). However, these findings await further replication. CONCLUSIONS: Advances in psychiatric genetics and current research interest in the genetics of ADHD should improve our understanding of aetiological factors and have an impact on treatment.
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗
Validity of the shortened Mood and Feelings Questionnaire in a community sample of children and adolescents: a preliminary research note.
The Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ) was designed to detect clinical depression in children and adolescents. Our aim was to investigate the relationship between symptom scores obtained using the short-version MFQ and psychiatric disorders in a non-clinical sample. Seventy-eight parents and 71 twins, who had completed the MFQ, were interviewed separately using a semistructured diagnostic interview, the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Assessment. Parent-rated MFQ scores (MFQ-P) were found to distinguish those with ICD-10 (point biserial correlation = 0.345) and DSM-III-R depression (point biserial correlation = 0.369) from non-depressed cases. MFQ-P scores also differentiated depressed cases from those with 'other psychiatric diagnoses' (any anxiety disorder, oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder, hyperkinetic disorder/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and adjustment disorder/post-traumatic disorder). The MFQ-P at the chosen cut-off point showed a sensitivity of 0.75 and specificity of 0.73 for an ICD-10 diagnosis of depression and a sensitivity of 0.86 and specificity of 0.87 for DSM-III-R depression. The number of self-rated reports (MFQ-C) was small, but overall the results suggest that self-rated MFQ scores may show less specificity. The MFQ-C at the selected cut-off point showed a sensitivity of 0.6 and specificity of 0.61 for ICD-10 depression, and a sensitivity of 0.75 and specificity of 0.74 for DSM-III-R depression.
Adolescent↗
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: unravelling the molecular genetics.
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Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗
Treating blood needle phobia.
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Adolescent↗
Life events and depressive symptoms in childhood--shared genes or shared adversity? A research note.
A twin study design was used to examine to what extent genetic and environmental factors mediate the association between life events and depressive symptoms. Questionnaire measures (maternally rated) of depressive symptoms and life events were obtained for a systematically ascertained sample of 270 twin pairs aged 8 to 17 years. Bivariate genetic model fitting showed that depressive symptoms and some life events (total events, negative impact) share a common genetic influence. The covariation of independent life events and depressive symptoms was explained by a shared environmental influence common to both. At least part of the association between life events and depressive symptoms is mediated by familial factors that include both genes and shared environment.
Adaptation, Psychological↗
Genetic basis of bad behaviour in adolescents.
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Adolescent↗
Genes and social skills.
Evidence for one or more loci on the human X chromosome influencing social cognition was recently presented by Skuse et al. The imprinted locus is only expressed from a paternally inherited X chromosome, which means that boys do not express it because their only X chromosome comes from their mother. This raises the possibility of genetic as well as cultural influences on sex differences in behaviour and cognition. It may also offer some explanation for why boys are more vulnerable to developmental disorders that affect social behaviour, such as autism.
Autistic Disorder↗
Attitudes of general practitioners towards health care for people with intellectual disability and the factors underlying these attitudes.
An intellectual disability attitude questionnaire was used to explore the attitudes of general practitioners (GPs) towards primary health care, organizing health promotion and the role of specialist services for people with intellectual disability. The results of this questionnaire from GPs in Gwent (Wales) and GPs in west Gloucestershire (England) were compared. The GPs in both areas responded similarly and tended to agree that they were responsible for the medical care of people with intellectual disability in the community. They also tended to feel that the move from hospitals to the community of people with intellectual disability would greatly increase their workload. The GPs in both areas were generally against a responsibility on their part for health promotion and health screening initiatives for people with intellectual disability. However, GPs in west Gloucestershire felt more strongly against these issues. Further analysis of the data revealed factors which influenced the response of GPs to the questionnaire, including their position regarding health promotion and screening, and their view of the role of specialist health services. The GPs generally felt that community learning disability teams provided useful support, and there is clearly scope for team members to liaise more closely with GP practices and to provide helpful information to GPs about intellectual disability and the specialist health services available. Professionals seeking to work collaboratively with GPs should be sensitive to their workload pressures and to their attitudes towards health promotion initiatives and health screening.
Adult↗
Anxiety and depressive symptoms in childhood--a genetic study of comorbidity.
Anxiety and depressive symptoms commonly co-occur yet the underlying mechanisms for this covariation remain poorly understood. Genetic strategies are a useful means of investigating whether the comorbidity of two sets of symptoms or disorders can be explained by the same aetiological factors. In this paper we use a systematically ascertained sample of 172 twin pairs aged 8 to 16 years to examine the causes of covariation of maternally rated anxiety and depressive symptoms. The results suggest that most of the covariation can be explained by a common set of genes that influence anxiety and depressive symptoms. Some covariation between anxiety and depressive symptoms is also explained by environmental influences of the non-shared type. In addition, depressive symptoms also appear to be influenced by specific genetic factors.
Adolescent↗
A twin study of antisocial and neurotic symptoms in childhood.
There is some evidence to suggest that the role of genetic and environmental influences may vary for different types of psychiatric symptoms in childhood. The aim of this study was to examine to what extent genetic and environmental factors influence parent-rated conduct and neurotic symptoms in childhood and adolescence, using data obtained from a systematically ascertained sample of twins (198 same sex pairs) aged between 8 and 16 years. For symptoms of antisocial behaviour, transmission could be explained entirely by shared environmental factors. Social class effects were also found to have a significant influence on antisocial behaviour, although these effects only accounted for a small proportion of the variance explained by shared environmental factors. In contrast, transmission of neurotic symptoms was best explained by additive genetic influences alone with no contribution from shared environment. Non-shared environmental factors accounted for a substantial component of the variation for both antisocial behaviour and neurotic symptoms.
Adolescent↗
Genetic influences on life events in childhood.
Until recently, life events were considered as chance occurrences. However, there is now increasing evidence that reported life events, at least in adult life are not random. Life events not only tend to cluster in families but also appear to be influenced by genetic factors. The aim of this study was to investigate whether genetic factors also influence reported life events in childhood using a systematically ascertained sample of 376 twin pairs aged 8 to 17. Overall, reported life events in this younger population were found to be heritable. However, the degree of genetic and environmental influence appeared to vary across the sexes, at least for parent-rated life events and according to whether life events were rated by the parents or the children themselves. Genetic influences appeared to be more important for self reports, suggesting that individual differences in cognition play a role in reporting life events.
Adolescent↗
Reverse-interference effect in free recall.
D. J. Burns (1989) demonstrated that free recall of second-list response terms was better in an interference (A-B, A-C) condition than in a control (D-B, A-C) condition. This reversal of the traditional interference effect was referred to as the reverse-interference effect. Results from Experiments 2-4 in this article discounted several possible explanations of the reverse-interference effect, and the results from Experiment 5-7 supported a stimulus accessibility account of the reverse-interference effect. That is, when asked for free recall of the response terms, participants covertly retrieved stimulus terms to serve as cues for the responses. The reverse-interference effect reflects the greater accessibility of stimulus terms in the interference condition than in the control condition.
Adult↗
Interruptions during general practice consultations--the patients' view.
BACKGROUND: Although most aspects of the consultation have been extensively reported there is very little information on the effects of interruptions on the consultation. OBJECTIVE: We wished to discover the patients' view of interruptions. METHODS: In this pilot study the sources and frequency of interruptions to the consultations of a single general practitioner were measured. The effects of interruptions on 102 patients whose consultations were interrupted were then ascertained using a simple questionnaire. RESULTS: The overall interruption rate was found to be 10.2%. The telephone was the commonest source of interruption, accounting for 50% of interruptions. Although most patients did not perceive the interruption as having an important effect on the consultation, 20% of patients did feel that the interruption had a bad effect on the consultation and 40% of patients felt it would have been better not to have been interrupted. A majority of patients (52%) did not feel that the reason for the interruption was important. Although most patients did not feel affected by the interruption, a significant minority (18%) of patients had a strongly negative emotional response to the interruption. CONCLUSIONS: In view of these findings the need for further work has been highlighted.
Adolescent↗
Attitudes of general practitioners to caring for people with learning disability.
BACKGROUND: The views of general practitioners on their increasing role in caring for people with learning disability in the community are not known. AIM: A study was carried out to assess the views of general practitioners with regard to providing routine care, organizing health promotion and specific health checks for people with learning disability and the role of specialists. METHOD: A postal questionnaire was sent to all 242 general practitioners in Gwent, south Wales. Participants had to mark their level of agreement with 20 attitude statements regarding learning disability. RESULTS: A total of 126 general practitioners (52%) responded. Respondents generally agreed that general practitioners were responsible for the medical care of people with learning disability. Respondents tended to be opposed to providing regular structured health promotion for people with learning disability, such as annual health checks and assessing hearing and eyesight. Specialist services were generally valued by respondents. CONCLUSION: General practitioners largely accepted their role as primary health care providers for people with learning disability. In contrast, their role as providers of health promotion for this patient group was not generally accepted. Further research into the appropriateness and opportunity costs of health screening for people with learning disability is needed.
Attitude of Health Personnel↗
Childhood hyperactivity scores are highly heritable and show sibling competition effects: twin study evidence.
Hyperactivity has consistently been shown to be familial. Until recently however, due to a lack of systematic twin evidence, it has remained uncertain to what extent familial transmission can be explained by genetic factors. We used a systematically ascertained population-based sample of twin pairs aged between 8 and 16 years old to explore the role of genetic influences on maternally rated hyperactivity scores. Hyperactivity scores were found to be substantially heritable. The data were best explained by a model which incorporated sibling competitive effects as well as additive genetic factors. These findings suggest not only that hyperactivity scores are influenced by genetic factors but that sibling interaction effects are also of importance.
Adolescent↗
A strategic account of the cue-depreciation effect.
A word fragment is less likely to be completed if it is presented incrementally (R______P, R____R _ P, R_I__R_P, R_I__R O P) than if it is presented all at once (e.g., R_I__R O P). This phenomenon is known as the cue-depreciation effect. The present study examined the role of strategies in this phenomenon. The magnitude of the cue-depreciation effect was increased when subjects were asked to adopt a passive generation approach to word fragment completion. The current study investigated an extension of Bruner and Potter's (1964) early hypothesis-generation account of the cue-depreciation effect. Findings demonstrated the influence of completion strategies for a general theory of fragment completion.
Humans↗
Are anxiety symptoms in childhood heritable?
Although childhood anxiety appears to aggregate in families, transmission could be explained by both genetic and shared environmental factors. Twin studies can be used to disentangle genetic and environmental effects. In this study, a systematically ascertained sample of twins was used to investigate whether anxiety symptoms are heritable. Parent-rated anxiety symptoms could best be explained by an additive genetic model with heritability estimated at 59%. However, when self ratings were analysed (in the adolescent subsample), familial transmission could be accounted for by shared environmental factors only.
Adolescent↗