Structural brain abnormalities in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and patients with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder
- PMID: 18093031
- DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2007.01799.x
Structural brain abnormalities in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and patients with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder
Abstract
Background: Although autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are two distinct neurodevelopmental diseases, they share behavioural, neuropsychological and neurobiological characteristics. For the identification of endophenotypes across diagnostic categories, further investigations of phenotypic overlap between ADHD and autism at the behavioural, neurocognitive, and brain levels are needed.
Methods: We examined regional grey matter differences and similarities in children and adolescents with ASD and ADHD in comparison to healthy controls using structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and voxel-based morphometry.
Results: With regard to clinical criteria, the clinical groups did not differ with respect to ADHD symptoms; however, only patients with ASD showed deficits in social communication and interaction, according to parental rating. Structural abnormalities across both clinical groups compared to controls became evident as grey matter reductions in the left medial temporal lobe and as higher grey matter volumes in the left inferior parietal cortex. In addition, autism-specific brain abnormalities were found as increased grey matter volume in the right supramarginal gyrus.
Conclusions: While the shared structural deviations in the medial temporal lobe might be attributed to an unspecific delay in brain development and might be associated with memory deficits, the structural abnormalities in the inferior parietal lobe may correspond to attentional deficits observed in both ASD and ADHD. By contrast, the autism-specific grey matter abnormalities near the right temporo-parietal junction may be associated with impaired 'theory of mind' abilities. These findings shed some light on both similarities and differences in the neurocognitive profiles of ADHD and ASD patients.
Similar articles
-
Mapping the brain in autism. A voxel-based MRI study of volumetric differences and intercorrelations in autism.Brain. 2005 Feb;128(Pt 2):268-76. doi: 10.1093/brain/awh332. Epub 2004 Nov 17. Brain. 2005. PMID: 15548557
-
Global and regional gray matter reductions in ADHD: a voxel-based morphometric study.Neurosci Lett. 2005 Dec 2;389(2):88-93. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2005.07.020. Neurosci Lett. 2005. PMID: 16129560
-
Mapping brain structure in attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder: a voxel-based MRI study of regional grey and white matter volume.Psychiatry Res. 2007 Feb 28;154(2):171-80. doi: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2006.09.006. Epub 2007 Feb 8. Psychiatry Res. 2007. PMID: 17291727
-
[Structural and functional neuroanatomy of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)].Encephale. 2009 Apr;35(2):107-14. doi: 10.1016/j.encep.2008.01.005. Epub 2008 Jul 7. Encephale. 2009. PMID: 19393378 Review. French.
-
[Neuroanatomical basis of pervasive developmental disorders and its pathogenesis].Seishin Shinkeigaku Zasshi. 2008;110(10):893-9. Seishin Shinkeigaku Zasshi. 2008. PMID: 19195194 Review. Japanese.
Cited by
-
Disorder-Specific Alteration in White Matter Structural Property in Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder Relative to Adults With ADHD and Adult Controls.Hum Brain Mapp. 2017 Jan;38(1):384-395. doi: 10.1002/hbm.23367. Epub 2016 Sep 15. Hum Brain Mapp. 2017. PMID: 27630075 Free PMC article.
-
[Autism and ADHD across the life span. Differential diagnoses or comorbidity?].Nervenarzt. 2011 May;82(5):573-80. doi: 10.1007/s00115-010-3239-6. Nervenarzt. 2011. PMID: 21484168 Review. German.
-
Biases in Understanding Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder in Japan.Front Psychol. 2018 Feb 28;9:244. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00244. eCollection 2018. Front Psychol. 2018. PMID: 29541049 Free PMC article.
-
Brain volumetric correlates of autism spectrum disorder symptoms in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.PLoS One. 2014 Jun 30;9(6):e101130. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0101130. eCollection 2014. PLoS One. 2014. PMID: 24979066 Free PMC article.
-
Neurophysiological mechanisms of interval timing dissociate inattentive and combined ADHD subtypes.Sci Rep. 2018 Feb 1;8(1):2033. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-20484-0. Sci Rep. 2018. PMID: 29391481 Free PMC article.
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical