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Anatomic brain abnormalities in monozygotic twins discordant for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
F Xavier Castellanos1, Wendy S Sharp, Rebecca F Gottesman
1Child Psychiatry Branch, National Institute of Mental Health/NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA. castef01@med.nyu.edu
Objective:
To examine brain-behavior relationships in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the authors obtained magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of monozygotic twins discordant for ADHD.
Method:
National recruitment was followed by in-person assessment. MRI scans were measured algorithmically for nine pairs of monozygotic twins discordant for ADHD.
Results:
The affected twins had significantly smaller caudate volumes (mean difference=-0.56 ml, CI=-0.92 to -0.21) than their unaffected co-twins.
Conclusions:
These results provide further support for striatal models of ADHD pathophysiology.