Recent advances in structural and functional brain imaging studies of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Abstract

The field of neuroimaging of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is now 30 years old. This brief selective review highlights the increasing sophistication of recent structural and functional neuroimaging studies of ADHD. In volumetric studies, investigators are examining extra-frontal, as well as frontal-striatal circuits and beginning to differentiate the potential effects of medication exposure. Functional MRI studies are focusing on familial/genetic influences and enrolling medication naïve, as well as medicated children with ADHD. A promising trend is the application of resting state approaches to mapping functional connectivity, which provides unexpectedly detailed information about interregional relationships while bypassing potentially confounding issues related to task performance. These developments allow us to conclude that neuroimaging studies of ADHD will increasingly inform our understanding of the neuronal substrates of ADHD.

Effects of methylphenidate on resting-state brain activity in normal adults: an fMRI study

“…Studies reflect increased recognition that the temporal and parietal cortices likely contribute to ADHD-related cognitive deficits [67] . Silk et al reported that the superior and middle temporal regions are preferentially activated in ADHD patients in a mental rotation task [68] .…”

Imaging genetics in ADHD: A focus on cognitive control

“…The resulting images can then be used to investigate synchronization of activity in neural circuits in rest. These patterns of activity have been shown to correlate with behavioral and cognitive measures and could potentially lead to task-independent biomarkers of neuropsychiatric disorders (Greicius, 2008;Kelly et al, 2007). Such an a-theoretical approach may be advantageous as such investigations can provide unexpected results, suggesting new directions for research.…”

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Attention Networks

“…Convergent data from various sources, including neuroimaging, neuropsychological, genetics, and neurochemical studies, have generally implicated fronto-striatal network abnormalities as contributing to ADHD (Bush et al, 2005;Durston, 2003;Giedd et al, 2001;Kelly et al, 2007;Schneider et al, 2006;Vaidya and Stollstorff, 2008;Zametkin and Liotta, 1998). Functional imaging studies on ADHD, in particular, have increased almost exponentially over the past decade.…”