Structural Alterations in Cortical Thickness and Volume in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): An...

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder.
• Understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of ADHD is crucial for developing effective interventions.
• Structural brain alterations are increasingly recognized as a key feature of ADHD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate clusters of structural alterations in cortical regions associated with ADHD.
• To explore the functional implications of these observed brain changes.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional, exploratory surface-based morphometric analysis of cortical thickness and volume.
• Utilized a publicly available structural MRI dataset with 11 ADHD participants and 23 controls.
• Employed FreeSurfer software and cluster-wise correction for statistical analysis.

Main Results:

• Reduced cortical thickness in the right superior frontal gyrus; increased in the left postcentral gyrus.
• Significant increases and decreases in cortical volume across multiple regions in both hemispheres.
• Observed bidirectional volume changes in specific areas like the right lateral occipital gyrus.

Conclusions:

• ADHD is associated with region-specific alterations in cortical thickness and volume.
• These changes are prominent in executive, motor, and sensory processing regions.
• Findings are hypothesis-generating and require validation in larger, age-stratified cohorts.