Association of ADAM10 and CAMK2A Polymorphisms with Conduct Disorder: Evidence from Family-Based Studies

Twin and family studies have shown that genetic factors play a role in the development of conduct disorder (CD). The purpose of this study was to identify genetic variants associated with CD using a family-based association study. We used 4,720 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from the Illumina Panel and 11,120 SNPs from the Affymetrix 10K GeneChips genotyped in 155 Caucasian nuclear families from Genetic Analysis Workshop (GAW) 14, a subset from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA). 20 SNPs had suggestive associations with CD (p < 10⁻³), nine of which were located in known genes, including ADAM10 (rs383902, p = 0.00036) and CAMK2A (rs2053053, p = 0.00098). Our results were verified using the International Multi-Center ADHD Genetics Project (IMAGE) dataset. In conclusion, we identified several loci associated with CD. Especially, the two genes (ADAM10 and CAMK2A) have been reported to be associated with Alzheimer’s disease, bipolar disorder and depression. These findings may serve as a resource for replication in other populations.