The IMpACT project

IMpACT, short for International Multi-centre persistent ADHD CollaboraTion, was founded in 2007 and is coordinated by Barbara Franke. The collaboration consists of 7 different sites in Europe and the Americas, and aims to perform and promote research into the genetics of persistent ADHD.

IMpACT now coordinates genetic data of over 3500 adult ADHD patients and 4000 controls. Next to yearly inspirational meetings, this collaboration has resulted in many interesting papers. For example, for DAT1, the most studied gene in ADHD, we identified differential haplotype involvement in adult ADHD and childhood ADHD. Also meta-analyses of the Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), and dopamine and serotonin receptor genes in adult ADHD were published.

• Each individual IMpACT site also employs specific research initiatives, here in the Netherlands we focus on neuroimaging geneticsof ADHD.
• Recently, IMpACT published a reviewabout the genetics of adult ADHD.