Proton spectroscopy in medication-free pediatric attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Frank P MacMaster¹, Normand Carrey, Sandra Sparkes

¹Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

|January 28, 2003

Insights

Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show elevated frontal-striatal glutamate/glutamine/gamma-aminobutyric acid (Glx) levels. This finding suggests altered glutamatergic neurotransmission in ADHD neuropathology.

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Neuroimaging
Pediatric Psychiatry

Background:

Frontal-striatal pathway dysfunction is linked to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) neuropathology.
Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) is a valuable tool for investigating brain metabolite levels.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate metabolite levels in the prefrontal cortex of children with ADHD using 1H-MRS.
To compare metabolite concentrations between children with ADHD and healthy controls.

Main Methods:

Examined nine age- and gender-matched case-control pairs (ages 7-16).
Acquired long-echo 1H-MRS scans from the right prefrontal cortex and left striatum.
Quantified N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA), glutamate/glutamine/gamma-aminobutyric acid (Glx), creatine/phosphocreatine (Cr), and choline compounds (Cho).

Main Results:

Elevated frontal-striatal glutamatergic (Glx) resonances observed in children with ADHD compared to controls.
No significant differences in NAA, Cho, or Cr metabolite ratios between groups.

Conclusions:

Frontal-striatal Glx resonances may be increased in children with ADHD.
Suggests potential alterations in glutamatergic neurotransmission in pediatric ADHD.

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Abstract

Background:

The frontal-striatal pathway has been previously implicated in the neuropathology of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Hence, we used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) to examine metabolite levels in the prefrontal cortex of children with ADHD.

Methods:

Nine age- and gender-matched case-control pairs were examined, ages 7 to 16 years. A long-echo 1H-MRS scan was acquired from the right prefrontal cortex and left striatum in all subjects. Compounds that can be visualized with 1H-MRS include N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA), glutamate/glutamine/gamma-aminobutyric acid (Glx), creatine/phosphocreatine (Cr), and choline compounds (Cho).

Results:

Frontal-striatal glutamatergic resonances were elevated in the children with ADHD as compared to healthy control subjects. No differences were noted in NAA, Cho, or Cr metabolite ratios.

Conclusions:

These findings suggest that frontal-striatal Glx resonances may be increased in children with ADHD in comparison with healthy control subjects.

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Conclusions:

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