Project GIDeCa
What is the GIDeCA Projekt?
GIDeCA (Gene by Environment Interactions on Decision Making in Children with different ADHD Symptoms) assesses biological and psychosocial family–related influences on the ability to delay rewards and on risky decision-making behavior in children with different ADHD symptoms.
Attention Deficit /Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
The most important problems children with an Attention Deficit /Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) encounter are: lack of attention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. Two main subtypes of the disorder can be distinguished, i.e. the primarily inattentive type without significant difficulties with hyperactivity and impulsivity and the combined type who shows marked difficulties in all three symptomatic areas. In the GIDeCA project, we are focusing our interest on the area of impulsivity.
The lack of delayed reward and risky decision-making behavior as indicators of impulsivity
When children are faced with the option of either receiving a small gift at once, or waiting for a bigger gift they will receive later on, some children with an impulsive disposition opt for the smaller gift they will be given immediately. Children with a stronger ability to delay rewards will wait. Risky decision-making behavior is demonstrated by children who, regardless of the time they have to wait, decide in favour of options that are unlikely to lead to great success, rather than voting for choices with a high probability of small success.
Genetic and family-related influence
Certain genes exist in different variations. For instance, roughly two thirds of the entire human population have a variant that leads to a lower availability of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain. Different scientific studies have shown that these different gene variants correlate with a reduced ability to delay rewards. Moreover, there is evidence that psychosocial and family-related aspects, such as an authoritarian style of upbringing, have an influence on the ability to defer a reward.
Aims and objectives of GIDeCA
GIDeCa is based on the assumption that genetic as well as psychosocial and family-related factors correlate with the ability to delay rewards and risky decision-making behavior. Furthermore, we assume that the effects of family-related risk factors are particularly significant in individuals with a particular genetic disposition. Moreover, we are interested in investigating in how far children with specific ADHD symptoms (combined ADHD subtype and primarily inattentive ADHD subtype) differ regarding the delay of rewards and risky decision-making behavior.
Research Method
150 children aged between eight and twelve years will take part in the study. They will be thoroughly assessed by psychologists and/or paediatricians / child and youth psychotherapists. Furthermore, small blood samples will be obtained from the children and the parents for a molecular-genetic test. We will also interview the parents and children together. The ability to delay rewards and risky decision-making behavior will be assessed by means of partly computer-based, playful tasks the children generally enjoy.
Project managers
Prof. Dr. Christine Freitag
Prof. Dr. Caterina Gawrilow
Dr. Wolfgang Rauch
Project staff
Dr. Christina Schwenk
Tilman Reinelt, Dipl. Psych.
Andrea Wirth, Dipl. Psych.
Co-operation partners
Klinik für Psychiatrie, Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie des Kindes- und Jugendalters der Goethe-Universität Frankfurt/Main
Children and Youth (Clinic for Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Goethe University, Frankfurt/Main)
