Gestational age is related to symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in late-preterm to full-term children and adolescents with down syndrome

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Laura del Hoyo Soriano, University of California Davis; Tracie Rosser, Emory University; Debra Hamilton, Emory University; Taylor Wood, University of California Davis; Leonard Abbeduto, University of California Davis; Stephanie Sherman, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2020-11-23
• Publisher: NATURE RESEARCH
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © The Author(s) 2020
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-77392-5
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
• Volume: 10
• Issue: 1
• Start Page: 20345
• End Page: 20345
• Grant/Funding Information: This study was approved by the Institutional Review Boards (IRB) of each participating site; Emory University (IRB00005100); University of California, Davis (IRB395392-1); University of Arizona (IRB00001751), Johns Hopkins University (IRB00031164), Oregon Health & Science University (IRB00003602), Children’s National Medical Center (IRB:Pro00002478), University of Wisconsin-Madison (IRB:SE-2010-0016) and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (IRB#17424).; This work was funded primarily by the LuMind Research Down Syndrome Foundation. Additional support was provided by NIH grants P50HD103526, P30HD03352, and U54HD090256. We also want to thank the families who participated in this study and the many members of the Down Syndrome Cognition Project (DSCP) who conducted site recruitment and performance-based testing.
• Keywords: COGNITIVE TEST BATTERY; ADHD; MENTAL-HEALTH; Multidisciplinary Sciences; YOUNG-ADULTS; Science & Technology - Other Topics; MATERNAL AGE; BIRTH-WEIGHT; Science & Technology; POPULATION; DEFICIT-HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER; AUTISM-SPECTRUM DISORDER; PREVALENCE
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Obstetrics and Gynecology; Psychology, Cognitive; Psychology, Developmental

Abstract

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is frequently reported in individuals with Down syndrome, with considerable variation in the expression and severity of the symptoms. Despite growing evidence that gestational age predicts later symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in the euploid population, this has not been studied in down syndrome. The current study is designed to investigate the influence of gestational age in later symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in 105 individuals (49 males and 56 females; aged 6–18 years) with Down syndrome who were born at or after 35 weeks gestation. Maternal age at birth, maternal level of education, household income, as well as sex, chronological age, and cognitive level of the participant with Down syndrome were considered in our analysis. Results from this study show that gestational age is related to inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive symptoms in children and adolescents with Down syndrome. Therefore, gestational age should be addressed when considering symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, as it may have implications for early interventions. More attention is needed toward the advancement of care and follow-up for infants with down syndrome who are born even late preterm or early term.