Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2008 Jun 30:8:51.
doi: 10.1186/1471-244X-8-51.

Structural brain change in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder identified by meta-analysis

Ian Ellison-Wright  1 , Zoë Ellison-Wright, Ed Bullmore
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Structural brain change in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder identified by meta-analysis

Ian Ellison-Wright et al. BMC Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Background: The authors sought to map gray matter changes in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) using a novel technique incorporating neuro-imaging and genetic meta-analysis methods.

Methods: A systematic search was conducted for voxel-based structural magnetic resonance imaging studies of patients with ADHD (or with related disorders) in relation to comparison groups. The authors carried out meta-analyses of the co-ordinates of gray matter differences. For the meta-analyses they hybridised the standard method of Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) with the rank approach used in Genome Scan Meta-Analysis (GSMA). This system detects three-dimensional conjunctions of co-ordinates from multiple studies and permits the weighting of studies in relation to sample size.

Results: For gray matter decreases, there were 7 studies including a total of 114 patients with ADHD (or related disorders) and 143 comparison subjects. Meta-analysis of these studies identified a significant regional gray matter reduction in ADHD in the right putamen/globus pallidus region. Four studies reported gray matter increases in ADHD but no regional increase was identified by meta-analysis.

Conclusion: In ADHD there is gray matter reduction in the right putamen/globus pallidus region. This may be an anatomical marker for dysfunction in frontostriatal circuits mediating cognitive control. Right putamen lesions have been specifically associated with ADHD symptoms after closed head injuries in children.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Gray Matter Decreases in ADHD. A transverse section at Talairach space level z = 10 showing gray matter reduction in ADHD in the right putamen/globus pallidus region, displayed on a template brain. The right side of the section represents the right side of the brain. Significant clusters were thresholded with a false discovery rate (FDR) at P < 0.05.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Gray Matter Decreases in ADHD. Gray matter signal decrease in ADHD in the right putamen/globus pallidus region, displayed on a three-dimensional rendered brain with right frontal lobe removed.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. American Psychiatric Association . Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 4. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association; 1994.
    1. Polanczyk G, de Lima MS, Horta BL, Biederman J, Rohde LA. The worldwide prevalence of ADHD: a systematic review and metaregression analysis. Am J Psychiatry. 2007;164:942–8. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.164.6.942. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Dickstein SG, Bannon K, Castellanos FX, Milham MP. The neural correlates of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: an ALE meta-analysis. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2006;47:1051–62. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2006.01671.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Frank MJ, Santamaria A, O'Reilly RC, Willcutt E. Testing computational models of dopamine and noradrenaline dysfunction in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2007;32:1583–99. doi: 10.1038/sj.npp.1301278. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Durston S, Fossella JA, Casey BJ, Hulshoff Pol HE, Galvan A, Schnack HG, Steenhuis MP, Minderaa RB, Buitelaar JK, Kahn RS, van Engeland H. Differential effects of DRD4 and DAT1 genotype on fronto-striatal gray matter volumes in a sample of subjects with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, their unaffected siblings, and controls. Mol Psychiatry. 2005;10:678–85. doi: 10.1038/sj.mp.4001649. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms