Seeking Overlapping Neuroanatomical Alterations between Dyslexia and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A...

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Developmental Neuroscience
• Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

• Previous research explored shared neural correlates between dyslexia and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) using voxel-based morphometry (VBM).
• Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) was employed in a prior meta-analysis to identify gray matter alterations associated with both conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To replicate a meta-analysis investigating shared gray matter alterations in dyslexia and ADHD.
• To analyze the same VBM dataset using a different meta-analysis technique, Permutation-Subject Images of Signed Differential Mapping (PSI-SDM).

Main Methods:

• Replication of a coordinate-based meta-analysis (CBMA) using a VBM dataset.
• Application of the Permutation-Subject Images of Signed Differential Mapping (PSI-SDM) method.
• Analysis controlled for biological sex, age, and medication status.

Main Results:

• The replication confirmed limited overlap in gray matter alterations between dyslexia and ADHD, consistent with the original study.
• No significant gray matter alterations were detected for dyslexia, preventing a direct comparison between the two disorders.
• No significant effects of biological sex, age, or medication status were found.

Conclusions:

• The findings align with existing literature showing inconsistent results regarding gray matter alterations in ADHD and dyslexia.
• Despite some neuropsychological and clinical convergence, neuroimaging research requires further investigation to establish consensus on gray matter patterns.
• More research is needed to clarify the neuroimaging domain of shared alterations between dyslexia and ADHD.