I hope to find information about the effects of stimulants like Ritalin and Adderall on the expression of particular genes - PMP22 and ARHGAP44. My 6 year old son has a de novo deletion on chromosome 17p which causes HNPP (PMP22 deletion). He also has ADHD inattentive type, hypotonia, and dyspraxia, which we think is caused by the ARHGAP44 deletion. ARHGAP44 is not yet associated with disease but is “highly expressed in the brain,” particularly the cerebellum, and current researchers (Grabrucker, et al) with whom I am in contact (and I hope to assist with further research) report its role in neurodevelopmental disorders (autism, ADHD). ADHD often requires treatment with stimulants. However, I am unable to find any research that examines the effect of stimulants on the expression of ARHGAP44 and PMP22. There is one reference to research in the Rat Genome Database (rgd.mcw.edu; article link below) that shows that cocaine reduces the expression of ARHGAP44. One could assume that other stimulants would do the same. We would not want to administer stimulants to people who have the genetic deletion, particularly to children with the deletion and whose brains are still developing. This research would be very helpful to the ADHD community. I wondered if and how it is possible to appeal to researchers to conduct this research. Any information would be much appreciated. Please feel free to forward my question to the most appropriate person. Thank you for your time.
Here are links to RGD gene report pages for gene-chemical interaction annotations for the two genes in question. Also a few relevant additional papers.
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