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                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, April 8, 1993                   TAG: 9304080123
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: BOSTON                                LENGTH: Short

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HYPERACTIVITY GENE FOUND

Scientists have discovered a genetic defect that causes hyperactivity, the first time a specific inborn flaw has been linked to a common behavioral problem.

The discovery should allow doctors for the first time to spot newborns who are likely to develop the disorder, as well as provide clues about its cause and treatment.

Scientists found that attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, as it is formally called, can result from a mistake in a gene that regulates the body's use of thyroid hormone.

While this gene probably accounts for only a fraction of cases of hyperactivity, other thyroid hormone problems may turn out to be a factor in many cases, the researchers reported in today's New England Journal of Medicine.

"Attention deficit disorder is very common. It is unlikely we would find one gene responsible for all children with this," said Dr. Peter Hauser, who directed the study.

Three percent to 10 percent of children are estimated to have attention deficit disorder, and the problem is more common in boys than in girls.

Victims have trouble focusing their attention and controlling impulses, and tend to be restless and aggressive. Often, they are disruptive in school. While the disorder is first seen in childhood, it may linger into adulthood.

The discovery of an underlying genetic defect in some victims was made at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases in Bethesda, Md.

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