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Updated: Jul 15, 2026
Measurement of Fronto-limbic Activity Using an Emotional Oddball Task in Children with Familial High Risk for Schizophrenia
Published on: December 2, 2015
Neuroimaging studies of children with serious emotional disturbances: a selective review
Jane Avery Serene1, Manzar Ashtari, Philip R Szeszko
1Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Insights
Recent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies reveal developmental brain abnormalities in children with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder (BD), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and major depressive disorder (MDD). These findings enhance understanding but do not support routine diagnostic neuroimaging.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Child Psychiatry
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Childhood psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder (BD), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and major depressive disorder (MDD), represent significant public health challenges.
- Understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of these conditions during development is crucial for effective intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically review and integrate recent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies on four major childhood psychiatric disorders.
- To provide a developmental perspective on neuroimaging findings in pediatric psychopathology.
- To synthesize current knowledge for clinical application.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of published reports in refereed journals.
- Analysis of brain morphometry, chemistry, and function in children with psychiatric disorders.
- Synthesis of findings to update clinical understanding.
Main Results:
- Schizophrenia is associated with early-onset and progressive cortical grey matter abnormalities.
- Pediatric BD shows abnormalities in mood regulation circuits involving the amygdala, striatum, and ventral prefrontal cortex (PFC).
- ADHD is linked to frontostriatal abnormalities, potentially affecting cognitive control development.
- MDD in children may present with distinct prefrontal cortical alterations in familial versus nonfamilial subtypes.
Conclusions:
- Neuroimaging studies indicate aberrant developmental trajectories in children with psychiatric disorders compared to healthy peers.
- While MRI advances understanding of pathophysiology, it is not currently indicated for routine diagnostic purposes in childhood emotional disturbances.
- Continued research integrating developmental neuroscience and child psychiatry is essential.
Objectives:
To critically review and integrate, from a developmental perspective, recent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies of 4 childhood psychiatric disorders: schizophrenia, bipolar disorder (BD), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and major depressive disorder (MDD).
Method:
We reviewed published reports in refereed journals. We briefly describe the major findings with respect to the brain morphometry, chemistry, and function of children with psychiatric disorders and synthesize the reports in a summary to update clinicians.
Results:
Some cortical grey matter abnormalities associated with schizophrenia appear to predate the onset of frank psychosis and continue to advance after the onset of psychosis, at least in more severe cases. Pediatric BD is associated with abnormalities in a circuit, thought to be involved in mood regulation, that encompasses the amygdala, striatum, and ventral PFC. Frontostriatal abnormalities are reported consistently in ADHD, potentially reflecting abnormalities in the development of cognitive control. Children with MDD show prefrontal cortical alterations that may differ in familial and nonfamilial subtypes of MDD.
Conclusions:
Results from neuroimaging studies of childhood psychopathology reveal abnormalities in the developmental trajectories observed in healthy children. Although MRI has increased our understanding of the pathophysiology of these disorders, routine neuroimaging for children with severe emotional disturbances is not indicated for diagnostic purposes.
