No allele variation of the MAOA gene promoter in male Chinese subjects with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

The aim of the current study was to examine any difference in the repeat sequence of the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene promoter between males with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and randomly selected subjects in a community. The role of the MAOA gene promoter in ADHD cases was also investigated. The total of 244 participants included 57 male ADHD subjects as the case group and 187 males, also in southern Taiwan, as the community controls. There was no significantly different distribution in the repeat sequence of the MAOA gene promoter (chi2 = 3.895, d.f. = 3, p = 0.273), and no significantly different distribution of 'long-form' and 'short-form' alleles between the ADHD group and the male community group was noted (chi2 = 2.484, d.f. = 1, p = 0.115). Some aspects of clinical response are mentioned in the discussion of this study which are worth exploring further in the future.