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. 2023 Dec 21:17:1303230.
doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1303230. eCollection 2023.

Cortical gray-white matter contrast abnormalities in male children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Changhao Wang #  1   2 , Yanyong Shen #  1   2 , Meiying Cheng  1   2 , Zitao Zhu  3 , Yuan Lv  4   5   6 , Xiaoxue Zhang  1   2 , Zhanqi Feng  1   2 , Zhexuan Yang  1   2 , Xin Zhao  1   2
Affiliations

Cortical gray-white matter contrast abnormalities in male children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Changhao Wang et al. Front Hum Neurosci. .

Abstract

Purpose: Presently, research concerning alterations in brain structure among individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) predominantly focuses on entire brain volume and cortical thickness. In this study, we extend our examination to the cortical microstructure of male children with ADHD. To achieve this, we employ the gray-white matter tissue contrast (GWC) metric, allowing for an assessment of modifications in gray matter density and white matter microstructure. Furthermore, we explore the potential connection between GWC and the severity of disorder in male children by ADHD.

Methods: We acquired 3DT1 sequences from the public ADHD-200 database. In this study, we conducted a comparative analysis between 43 male children diagnosed with ADHD and 50 age-matched male controls exhibiting typical development trajectories. Our investigation entailed assessing differences in GWC and cortical thickness. Additionally, we explored the potential correlation between GWC and the severity of ADHD. To delineate the cerebral landscape, each hemisphere was subdivided into 34 cortical regions using freesurfer 7.2.0. For quantification, GWC was computed by evaluating the intensity contrast of non-normalized T1 images above and below the gray-white matter interface.

Results: Our findings unveiled elevated GWC within the bilateral lingual, bilateral insular, left transverse temporal, right parahippocampal and right pericalcarine regions in male children with ADHD when contrasted with their healthy counterparts. Moreover, the cortical thickness in the ADHD group no notable distinctions that of control group in all areas. Intriguingly, the GWC of left transverse temporal demonstrated a negative correlation with the extent of inattention experienced by male children with ADHD.

Conclusion: Utilizing GWC as a metric facilitates a more comprehensive assessment of microstructural brain changes in children with ADHD. The fluctuations in GWC observed in specific brain regions might serve as a neural biomarker, illuminating structural modifications in male children grappling with ADHD. This perspective enriches our comprehension of white matter microstructure and cortical density in these children. Notably, the inverse correlation between the GWC of the left transverse temporal and inattention severity underscores the potential role of structural and functional anomalies within this region in ADHD progression. Enhancing our insight into ADHD-related brain changes holds significant promise in deciphering potential neuropathological mechanisms.

Keywords: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; cortical thickness; gray-white matter tissue contrast; inattention; male children.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Average quantitative comparisons of GWC differences between ADHD and HC within specific brain regions. **Significant at p < 0.00147.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Cortical gray matter contrast abnormalities in male children with ADHD compared with healthy control. The results of Mann-Whitney U test showed that the GWC values of bilateral lingual, bilateral insular, left transverse temporal, right parahippocampal and right pericalcarine regions were higher in male children with ADHD.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Correlation between left transverse temporal GWC values and inattention. The contrast in cortical grey-white matter tissue exhibited an inverse relationship with the scores on the Inattention scale, particularly observed in the ipsilateral hemisphere of male children diagnosed with ADHD and featuring left transverse temporal involvement.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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