Individual differences in subcortical microstructure organization reflect reaction time performances during a flanker
Sidy Fall1, Laurent Querne1, Anne-Gaëlle Le Moing1
1Department of Pediatric Neurology. INSERM U-1105, Amiens University Medical Center, F-80054, France.
Psychiatry Research
|May 31, 2015
Summary
This study found that reaction time variability in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is linked to diffusion tensor imaging measurements in the basal ganglia and thalamus.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with fronto-striato-thalamic circuitry dysfunction.
- Quantitative diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of subcortical gray matter in ADHD requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the relationship between reaction time (RT) parameters during a flanker task and mean diffusivity (MD) in the basal ganglia and thalamus in children with ADHD.
- To compare these correlations in children with ADHD and typically developing controls.
Main Methods:
- Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was used to measure mean diffusivity (MD) in the basal ganglia and thalamus.
- Participants completed a flanker task to assess reaction time (RT) parameters.
- Correlational analyses were performed between RT parameters and MD measurements.
Main Results:
- For the entire study group, mean RT and intra-individual RT variability significantly correlated with MD in the bilateral caudate, putamen, and thalamus.
- No significant correlation was found between the interference effect and MD.
Conclusions:
- These findings suggest that altered white matter microstructure in the basal ganglia and thalamus may underlie performance variability in ADHD.
- The results contribute to understanding the neuroanatomical basis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
