MRI
Findings on Brain-Behavior Relations
in Boys with ADHD
In a study
at Massachusetts General Hospital, Magnetic Resonance Imaging
(MRI) brain scans revealed that boys meeting criteria for ADHD
differed from nonADHD control boys with respect to the following
brain characteristics: Reversed asymmetry of the head of the caudate;
smaller volume of the caudate head; and smaller volume of the
white matter of the right frontal lobe (Semrud-Clikeman et al.,
2000). The ADHD boys also had significantly higher CBCL Externalizing
and Internalizing scores as well as significantly poorer scores
on several neuropsychological measures. In addition, CBCL Externalizing
scores were significantly higher for boys having the smallest
caudate heads, whereas CBCL Internalizing scores were significantly
associated with caudate asymmetry. The authors concluded that
"The finding of a relationship between the inability to inhibit
responding and a compromised caudate supports the emerging evidence
of disruption in the frontostriatal circuits in ADHD.
Reference:
Semrud-Clikeman, M., Steingard, R.J., Filipek, P., Biederman,
J., Bekken, K., & Renshaw, P.F. (2000). Using MRI to examine
brain-behavior relationships in males with Attention Deficit Disorder
with Hyperactivity. Journal of the American Academy of Child
& Adolescent Psychiatry, 39, 477-484.
