Attention deficit disorder: quantitative analysis of CT

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Child Psychiatry
• Neurology

Background:

• Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder.
• Previous research has explored potential structural brain abnormalities in ADD.
• Computed tomography (CT) offers a non-invasive method for brain imaging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare quantitative CT measurements between children diagnosed with ADD and a control group.
• To investigate if structural brain differences are detectable in ADD using CT scans.

Main Methods:

• Two groups of children were studied: 35 with ADD (DSM III criteria) and 27 controls.
• Quantitative measurements of brain structures, including ventricles and hemispheres, were obtained from CT scans.
• A "blind" analysis approach was used, and Evan's Index was calculated.

Main Results:

• No significant differences were found in measurements of anterior horns of lateral ventricles, bifrontal width, or cerebral hemispheres between ADD and control groups.
• Evan's Index (ventricular size/bifrontal brain width) was comparable between the groups.
• Results were consistent with those found in normal children by other researchers.

Conclusions:

• Current CT technology and quantitative analysis methods do not reveal discernible anatomical abnormalities in children with ADD.
• Structural differences, if present in ADD, are not detectable with existing CT imaging capabilities.