In order to develop a structured and objective diagnostic instrument, authors completed: (1) the translation and back translation of the Korean version of the Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia - Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL) and (2) the examination of its validity and reliability of the K-SADS-PL-Korean version (K-SADS- PL) when used with Korean children. A total of 91 study subjects were recruited from child and adolescent psychiatry outpatient clinics. Clinical diagnoses were used as a gold standard for the examination of validity of K-SADS-PL-K. Consensual validity of threshold and sub-threshold diagnoses were good to excellent for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), fair for tic and oppositional defiant disorders, and poor to fair for anxiety and depressive disorders. Inter-rater and test-retest reliabilities were fair to excellent for ADHD and tic disorder. The significant correlations between the K-SADS-PL-K and Korean Child Behavior Checklist (K-CBCL) were found, which provided additional support for the concurrent validity of the K-SADS-PL-K. Sensitivities varied according to the diagnostic categories, but specificities remained high over all diagnoses, suggesting that the K-SADS-PL-K is a desirable confirmatory diagnostic tool. The results of this study suggest that the K-SADS-PL-K is an effective instrument for diagnosing major child psychiatric disorders, including ADHD, behavioral disorders and tic disorders in Korean children. Future studies will examine the validity and reliability of the K-SADS-PL-K in larger samples, including adolescents and community samples on a variety of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a psychiatric disorder that affects ~5% of school-aged children; however, the mechanisms underlying ADHD remain largely unclear. Here we report a previously unidentified association between G protein-coupled receptor kinase-interacting protein-1 (GIT1) and ADHD in humans. An intronic single-nucleotide polymorphism in GIT1, the minor allele of which causes reduced GIT1 expression, shows a strong association with ADHD susceptibility in humans. Git1-deficient mice show ADHD-like phenotypes, with traits including hyperactivity, enhanced electroencephalogram theta rhythms and impaired learning and memory. Hyperactivity in Git1(-/-) mice is reversed by amphetamine and methylphenidate, psychostimulants commonly used to treat ADHD. In addition, amphetamine normalizes enhanced theta rhythms and impaired memory. GIT1 deficiency in mice leads to decreases in ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate-1 (RAC1) signaling and inhibitory presynaptic input; furthermore, it shifts the neuronal excitation-inhibition balance in postsynaptic neurons toward excitation. Our study identifies a previously unknown involvement of GIT1 in human ADHD and shows that GIT1 deficiency in mice causes psychostimulant-responsive ADHD-like phenotypes.

BackgroundConcern over phthalates has emerged because of their potential toxicity to humans.ObjectiveWe investigated the relationship between the urinary concentrations of phthalate metabolites and children’s intellectual functioning.MethodsThis study enrolled 667 children at nine elementary schools in five South Korean cities. A cross-sectional examination of urine phthalate concentrations was performed, and scores on neuropsychological tests were obtained from both the children and their mothers.ResultsWe measured mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP) and mono(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl)phthalate (MEOHP), both metabolites of di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP), and mono-n-butyl phthalate (MBP), a metabolite of dibutyl phthalate (DBP), in urine samples. The geometric mean (ln) concentrations of MEHP, MEOHP, and MBP were 21.3 μg/L [geometric SD (GSD) = 2.2 μg/L; range, 0.5–445.4], 18.0 μg/L (GSD = 2.4; range, 0.07–291.1), and 48.9 μg/L (GSD = 2.2; range, 2.1–1645.5), respectively. After adjusting for demographic and developmental covariates, the Full Scale IQ and Verbal IQ scores were negatively associated with DEHP metabolites but not with DBP metabolites. We also found a significant negative relationship between the urine concentrations of the metabolites of DEHP and DBP and children’s vocabulary subscores. After controlling for maternal IQ, a significant inverse relationship between DEHP metabolites and vocabulary subscale score remained. Among boys, we found a negative association between increasing MEHP phthalate concentrations and the sum of DEHP metabolite concentrations and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children vocabulary score; however, among girls, we found no significant association between these variables.ConclusionControlling for maternal IQ and other covariates, the results show an inverse relationship between phthalate metabolites and IQ scores; however, given the limitations in cross-sectional epidemiology, prospective studies are needed to fully explore these associations.

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