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Cortical Morphometric Abnormality and Its Association with Working Memory in Children with

Fei-Fei Si1, Lu Liu1, Hai-Mei Li1

  • 1Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health (Peking University), National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Beijing, China.

Psychiatry Investigation
|August 2, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) exhibit reduced cortical volumes in specific brain regions, linked to working memory deficits. These findings suggest potential contributions to ADHD pathogenesis.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder affecting children and adolescents.
  • Working memory (WM) is frequently impaired in individuals with ADHD.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate cortical morphology differences between children with ADHD and healthy controls.
  • To examine the relationship between cortical structural abnormalities and working memory in ADHD.

Main Methods:

  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to assess cortical volume, surface, thickness, and curvature.
  • 36 medication-naïve children with ADHD and 36 age- and gender-matched healthy controls (HC) participated.
  • The digit span test evaluated working memory capacity.

Main Results:

  • Children with ADHD showed significantly reduced cortical volumes in the left lateral superior temporal gyrus (STG) and left anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) compared to HC.
  • A positive correlation was found between the cortical volume of the left lateral STG and working memory performance in children with ADHD.

Conclusions:

  • Reduced cortical volume in the left lateral STG may play a role in the development of ADHD.
  • These structural changes are associated with working memory impairments in children with ADHD.
Abstract

Keywords:
ADHDCortical morphologyMRIWorking memory

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