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Updated: May 31, 2025

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Functional and structural connectivity of the subregions of the amygdala in ADHD children with or without ODD

Zhao-Min Wu1,2, Peng Wang3, Xue-Chun Liu4

  • 1Shenzhen Children's Hospital, Shenzhen, 518000, China. zhaomin.wu@foxmail.com.

BMC Psychiatry
|January 25, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) show altered amygdala connectivity. These brain differences are linked to behavioral and emotional challenges in ADHD, especially when combined with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD).

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Child Psychology
  • Psychiatry

Background:

  • Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) are common neurodevelopmental disorders in children.
  • The amygdala plays a crucial role in emotional regulation and social behavior, and its dysfunction is implicated in various psychiatric conditions.
  • Understanding the neural underpinnings of ADHD and comorbid ODD is essential for developing targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the structural and functional connectivity of amygdala subregions in children with ADHD-only and ADHD with comorbid ODD.
  • To compare these connectivity patterns with those of healthy controls.
  • To explore the association between altered amygdala connectivity and behavioral/emotional problems.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized resting-state functional MRI and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in a subsample of 209 children.
  • Calculated functional connectivity (FC) and structural connectivity (SC) using amygdala subregions as seeds.
  • Employed ANCOVA for behavioral data and voxel-wise comparisons for neuroimaging data.

Main Results:

  • The ADHD+ODD group exhibited more emotional and behavioral problems than the ADHD-only group.
  • ADHD-only children showed increased FC between amygdala and areas like the caudate, putamen, and frontal cortex.
  • ADHD-only children displayed altered SC in the internal capsule, corpus callosum, and corona radiata, associated with emotional problems.

Conclusions:

  • Altered amygdala structural and functional connectivity is evident in children with ADHD.
  • These connectivity changes are associated with ADHD-related behavioral and emotional difficulties.
  • Comorbid ODD exacerbates behavioral and emotional challenges in children with ADHD.
Abstract

Keywords:
ADHDAmygdalaFunctional connectivityODDStructural connectivity

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