Morphological Abnormalities of the Thalamus in Youths With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Abstract

Objective The role of the thalamus in the genesis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) remains poorly understood. The authors used anatomical MRI to examine the morphology of the thalamus in youths with ADHD and healthy comparison youths. Method The authors examined 46 youths with ADHD and 59 comparison youths 8–18 years of age in a cross-sectional case-control study. Conventional volumes and measures of surface morphology of the thalamus served as the main outcome measures. Results A mixed-effects model comparing whole thalamic volumes revealed no significant differences between groups. Maps of the thalamic surface revealed significantly smaller regional volumes bilaterally in the pulvinar in youths with ADHD relative to comparison subjects. Post hoc analyses showed that ADHD patients who received stimulants (N=31) had larger conventional thalamic volumes than untreated youths with ADHD, and maps of the thalamic surface showed enlargement over the pulvinar in those receiving stimulants. Smaller regional volumes in the right lateral and left posterior thalamic surfaces were associated with more severe hyperactivity symptoms, whereas larger regional volumes in the right medial thalamic surfaces were associated with more severe symptoms of inattention. Conclusion These findings demonstrate reduced pulvinar volumes in youths with ADHD and indicate that this same area is relatively enlarged in patients treated with stimulants compared to those untreated. Associations of hyperactivity scores with smaller regional volumes on the lateral thalamic surface and inattention scores with larger regional volumes on the medial thalamic surface suggest the differential involvement of thalamic subcircuits in the pathogenesis of differing ADHD symptoms.

Angiogenic, neurotrophic, and inflammatory system SNPs moderate the association between birth weight and ADHD symptom severity

“…Following cerebral ischemia, NRP1 disrupts axonal guidance near the ischemic area [Hou et al, 2008]. Further, NRP1 plays a central role coordinating neuronal migration and guidance of axons that project from the thalamus to the cortex [Lopez-Bendito et al, 2006], which has been implicated in the development of ADHD [Ivanov et al, 2010;Shaw, 2010] and externalizing behavior problems [Arcos-Burgos et al, 2012].…”

Comparing Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Level with the Work Experiences of Nurses Working at a Private Hospital in Istanbul

“…An individual who suffers from this type of ADHD shows the following symptoms: a) Constant fidgeting (moving fingers and/or feet while sitting) b) Difficulty in staying seated for a long time c) Has trouble doing work quietly ADHD is usually defined as a neuro-biological disorder which has been linked to structural (Ivanov et al, 2010;Kobel et al, 2010;Valera, Faraone, Murray, & Seidman, 2007), functional (Dickstein, Bannon, Castellanos, & Milham, 2006), physiological (Liotti et al, 2007;Quintana, Snyder, Purnell, Aponte, & Sita, 2007;Synder & Hall, 2006), and chemical (Costa et al, 2013;Volkow et al, 2007;Volkow et al, 2009) changes in specific parts of the brain (Shire: ADHD Institute, 2014).…”

An ADHD Diagnostic Approach Based on Binary-Coded Genetic Algorithm and Extreme Learning Machine

“…Recently researchers discovered new interesting effects which can lead us to a better understanding of the hidden mechanism of ADHD. For example, Ivanov et al [3] found serious modifications in specific Vasily Sachnev and Sundaram Suresh areas, i.e., the amygdala and the thalamus. Cherkasova and Hechtman [4] discovered a significant reduction in cerebral volume.…”