Genetic variation in dopamine neurotransmission and motor development of infants born extremely-low-birthweight.
Gordon Worley, Stephen W Erickson, Kathryn E Gustafson and 6 others
PMID 31691959WHAT IT FOUND
A higher dopamine-related genetic score was associated with lower motor development scores in infants born extremely low birthweight, but not with cognitive scores or cerebral palsy.
Each additional variant was associated with a small decrease in motor score.
Key findings
01Each 1-point increase in the dopamine-related genetic score was associated with an average 1.37-point decrease in the Bayley motor score, which has a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15.
02The score was not related to the Bayley cognitive score and was not associated with cerebral palsy diagnosis.
03The BDNF Val66Met allele was independently related to the motor score, but after removing it the six-allele dopamine score remained related to the motor score.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The analysed sample was a convenience cohort of infants who survived and completed follow-up assessment, so it may not represent all infants born extremely low birthweight. The authors describe the effect of each allele as small and say this is consistent with genetic variation having a relatively minor influence on motor development. The motor score was taken at 18 to 22 months corrected age, and whether the association persists through childhood is unknown. The findings may not generalise to later extremely-low-birthweight cohorts because survival and comorbidity patterns have changed since 2002. The Bayley motor score at 18 to 22 months is only moderately associated with later motor development.
Declared interests
The supplied metadata lists NIH extramural research support. No author conflict-of-interest declaration is included in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that dopamine medication helps. The paper describes a future research hypothesis about dopamine medication, not a tested intervention. The effect of each allele was small.