Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 14, 2026
Using Brain Activation nir-HEG/Q-EEG and Execution Measures CPTs in a ADHD Assessment Protocol
Published on: April 1, 2018
Cortical morphology as a shared neurobiological substrate of attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms and executive
Sabine E Mous1, Tonya White1, Ryan L Muetzel1
1From the The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (Mous, Muetzel, El Marroun, Jaddoe); the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC-Sophia, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (Mous, White, Muetzel, El Marroun, Verhulst, Posthuma, Tiemeier); the Department of Radiology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (White); the Centre for Child and Family Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands (Rijlaarsdam); the Department of Complex Trait Genetics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research (CNCR), VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (Polderman, Posthuma); the Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (Jaddoe, Tiemeier); the Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus MC-Sophia, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (Jaddoe); the Department of Clinical Genetics, VU MC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (Posthuma); and the Department of Psychiatry, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam,The Netherlands (Tiemeier).
Background:
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms have repeatedly been associated with poor cognitive functioning. Genetic studies have demonstrated a shared etiology of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and cognitive ability, suggesting a common underlying neurobiology of ADHD and cognition. Further, neuroimaging studies suggest that altered cortical development is related to ADHD. In a large population-based sample we investigated whether cortical morphology, as a potential neurobiological substrate, underlies the association between attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms and cognitive problems.
Methods:
The sample consisted of school-aged children with data on attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms, cognitive functioning and structural imaging. First, we investigated the association between attention-deficit/ hyperactivity symptoms and different domains of cognition. Next, we identified cortical correlates of attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms and related cognitive domains. Finally, we studied the role of cortical thickness and gyrification in the behaviour-cognition associations.
Results:
We included 776 children in our analyses. We found that attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms were associated specifically with problems in attention and executive functioning (EF; b = -0.041, 95% confidence interval [CI] -0.07 to -0.01, p = 0.004). Cortical thickness and gyrification were associated with both attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms and EF in brain regions that have been previously implicated in ADHD. This partly explained the association between attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms and EF (bindirect = -0.008, bias-corrected 95% CI -0.018 to -0.001).
Limitations:
The nature of our study did not allow us to draw inferences regarding temporal associations; longitudinal studies are needed for clarification.
Conclusion:
In a large, population-based sample of children, we identified a shared cortical morphology underlying attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms and EF.
More Related Videos
10:02Event Related Potentials ERPs and other EEG Based Methods for Extracting Biomarkers of Brain Dysfunction: Examples from Pediatric Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder ADHD
Published on: March 12, 2020
12:21Probing the Brain in Autism Using fMRI and Diffusion Tensor Imaging
Published on: September 12, 2011
Related Concept Videos
01:30Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Diagnostic Criteria and Symptoms
To diagnose ADHD, symptoms must manifest before age 12 and be evident across multiple settings....
01:30Information Processing Approach