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The complex gene encoding nitric oxide synthase (NOS1) has been linked to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other impulsivity disorders. Nitric oxide, the eventual product, modulates extracellular dopamine concentrations. On an exon that is highly expressed in the brain (particularly the striatum) is found a polymorphism with a variable number of tandem repeats; the short allele (s) has been associated with impulsive and aggressive behavior. These investigators examined possible interactions of the polymorphism with impulsivity, ADHD, and neurobiological dysfunction in the ventral striatum (an area previously linked to ADHD).
The 87 adult patients with ADHD and 49 healthy controls underwent genotyping, tests of reward-relat…