Here are links to some of the ADHD brain imaging abstracts and manuscripts I will be reviewing. A few of these will be subjects of posts in the upcoming weeks.
Characterizing heterogeneity in children with and without ADHD based on reward system connectivity
This study compared the functional connectivity patterns in a group of 106 children including some with ADHD and some without ADHD. The study found significant differences in connectivity in ADHD compared to controls. Two ADHD connectivity groups were identified with one group demonstrating impulsivity.
Altered neural connectivity during response inhibition in adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and their affected siblings
This is another study of functional connectivity using fMRI during a response inhibition task. ADHD subjects showed lack of activations within the response inhibition network. Unaffected siblings also showed some abnormalities in this network but also had compensation effects.
Microstructural abnormalities in the combined and inattentive subtypes of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a diffusion tensor imaging study
This DTI study compared ADHD inattention only, ADHD inattention plus hyperactivity and controls on brain with matter integrity. The two ADHD subgroups showed unique brain regional patterns of connectivity abnormalities. Additionally, a they found a deficit in the motor circuit connectivity that distinguished the two ADHD groups.
Multimodal magnetic resonance imaging study of treatment-naive adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
One understudied ADHD population is adults with the disorder. This study examined adults with ADHD who had never been treated with drugs for their disorder. This design eliminates the potential confounding of stimulant use in ADHD and brain imaging findings. The authors report a variety of DTI white matter differences in adults with ADHD compared to controls. Structural volumetric analyses were less impressive in distinguishing cases from control.
Glutamate/glutamine and neuronal integrity in adults with ADHD: a proton MRS study
This study used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy to look for abnormalities of glutamate signalling in ADHD. Abnormalities in glutamate-glutamine, creatine and N-acetylaspartate were found in the basal ganglia of the ADHD subjects. No differences in this finding were noted between ADHD subjects who had never received drug treatment compared to those who had received treatment. This study supports a role for glutamate-glutamine dysfunction in the basal ganglia in contributing to the symptoms of ADHD.
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