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. 2024 Oct;18(5):1144-1152.
doi: 10.1007/s11682-024-00910-w. Epub 2024 Aug 27.

Changes in MRI head motion across development: typical development and ADHD

Phoebe Thomson  1 , Vanessa Loosley  2 , Emily Friedel  2 , Timothy J Silk  3   4
Affiliations

Changes in MRI head motion across development: typical development and ADHD

Phoebe Thomson et al. Brain Imaging Behav. 2024 Oct.

Abstract

Head motion is a major confounding variable for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) analysis, and is commonly seen in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study investigated the trajectory of change in head motion in typically developing children and children with ADHD, and examined possible altered trajectories in head motion between children with remitted and persistent ADHD. 105 children with ADHD and 84 controls completed diffusion and resting-state functional MRI scans at up to three waves over ages 9-14 years. In-scanner head motion was calculated using framewise displacement, and longitudinal trajectories analyzed using generalized additive mixed modelling. Results revealed a significant age effect on framewise displacement where head motion decreased as age increased during both diffusion (p < .001) and resting-state functional MRI (p < .001). A significant effect of group was also observed; children with ADHD displayed greater framewise displacement than controls over the age range (diffusion MRI p = .036, functional MRI p = .004). Further analyses revealed continued elevation in head motion in children in remission from ADHD (diffusion MRI p = .020, functional MRI p = .011) compared to controls. Rates of change in head motion did not significantly differ between diagnostic groups. Findings indicate a critical link between in-scanner head motion and developmental age within children regardless of ADHD diagnosis, important to consider in studies of neurodevelopment. Findings also suggest change in head motion with age does not differ between individuals with remitted and persistent ADHD, adding further evidence that behavioral manifestations of ADHD may continue despite clinical remission.

Keywords: ADHD; Diffusion MRI; Longitudinal development; Motion artifact; Resting-state functional MRI.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics approval: The Neuroimaging of the Children’s Attention project was approved by the Royal Children’s Hospital Human Research Ethics Committee in Melbourne. Consent to participate: All participating families provided written informed consent prior to data collection. Competing interests: None of the authors have a conflict of interest to declare.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Longitudinal change in framewise displacement with age. Note. Figure depicts model trajectory of head motion (framewise displacement) change during (A) dMRI and (B) r-fMRI scans, plotted over raw motion values for each subject. Head motion decreases over age can be observed in both ADHD (red) and Control (blue) groups. Shaded areas represent 95% confidence intervals for best fitting model
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Effects of persistent and remitted ADHD status on longitudinal change in framewise displacement with age. Note. Figure depicts model trajectory of head motion (framewise displacement) change during (A) dMRI and (B) r-fMRI scans, plotted over raw motion values for each subject. Head motion decreases over age can be observed in ADHD-persistent (red), ADHD-remitted (green) and Control (blue) groups. Shaded areas represent 95% confidence intervals for best fitting model
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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