Global DNA methylation changes in adults with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder and its comorbidity with bipolar disorder: links with polygenic scores

Genetic and environmental factors contribute to the etiology of Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In this sense, the study of epigenetic mechanisms could contribute to the understanding of the disorder’s neurobiology. Global DNA methylation (GMe) evaluated through 5-methylcytosine levels could be a promising epigenetic biomarker to capture long-lasting biological effects in response to environmental and hormonal changes. We conducted the first assessment of GMe levels in subjects with ADHD ( n = 394) and its main comorbidities in comparison to populational controls ( n = 390). Furthermore, given the high genetic contribution to ADHD (heritability of 80%), polygenic risk scores (PRS) were calculated to verify the genetic contribution to GMe levels in ADHD and the comorbidities associated with GMe levels. The GMe levels observed in patients were lower than controls ( P = 1.1e-8), with women being significantly less globally methylated than men ( P = 0.002). Regarding comorbidities, the presence of bipolar disorder (BD) among patients with ADHD was associated with higher methylation levels compared to patients with ADHD without BD ( P = 0.031). The results did not change when pharmacological treatment was accounted for in the analyses. The ADHD and BD most predictive PRSs were negatively ( P = 0.0064) and positively ( P = 0.0042) correlated with GMe, respectively. This study is the first to report an association between GMe, ADHD, and its comorbidity with BD and associations between PRSs for specific psychiatric disorders and GMe. Our findings add to previous evidence that GMe may be a relevant piece in the psychiatric disorders’ etiological landscape.