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What the rodent prefrontal cortex can teach us about attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: the critical role of

Ron M Sullivan1, Wayne G Brake

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, Centre de Recherche Fernand-Seguin, University of Montreal, 7331 rue Hochelaga, Montreal, Que., Canada. rsullivan@crfs.umontreal.ca

Behavioural Brain Research
|December 4, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Right prefrontal cortex (PFC) dysfunction and early developmental issues are key to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Rodent studies reveal PFC

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Psychiatry

Background:

  • Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder.
  • Clinical observations suggest right prefrontal cortex (PFC) dysfunction is central to ADHD.
  • Early developmental factors are implicated as significant risk factors for ADHD.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review rodent studies on prefrontal cortex (PFC) function in relation to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) pathophysiology.
  • To elucidate the neural mechanisms underlying ADHD core deficits mediated by the PFC.
  • To explore the role of the mesocortical dopamine (DA) system and cerebral lateralization in ADHD.

Main Methods:

  • Review of clinical findings related to ADHD and PFC dysfunction.
  • Analysis of rodent models investigating PFC functions and their relation to ADHD.
  • Examination of the mesocortical dopamine (DA) system's role in modulating PFC functions relevant to ADHD.

Main Results:

  • Right PFC dysfunction is critical in ADHD, influenced by early developmental factors.
  • Rodent studies explain how PFC mediates ADHD-related cognitive processes, with the mesocortical DA system playing a key role.
  • Significant cerebral lateralization of PFC function is observed in rats, with the right hemisphere being particularly vulnerable to early insults.

Conclusions:

  • The PFC, especially the right hemisphere, regulates arousal, a fundamental function for higher cognitive processes.
  • Early adverse events impacting the right PFC and its DAergic pathways contribute to ADHD core deficits.
  • Dysregulation of the right frontostriatal system due to abnormal development is a proposed mechanism for ADHD.

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