Basal Ganglia Volume and Shape in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

 Qiu, A., Crocetti, D., Adler, M., Mahone, E., Denckla, M., Miller, M., & Mostofsky, S.. (2009). Basal Ganglia Volume and Shape in Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 166(1), 74-82.  Retrieved September 11, 2011, from ProQuest Psychology Journals.

Basal Ganglia Volume and Shape in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
The basal ganglia abnormalities have been associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder especially in boys. This study compared 66 participants which consisted of 35 normal children and 47 children with ADHD and MRIs were used to look abnormalities were looked at in the basal ganglia. The differences in shape of the basal ganglia were looked at comparing the subjects to normal model.Linear regression models were used to calculate the data. The results showed that boys with ADHD had significantly smaller basal ganglia volumes compared to normal developing boys. There were also differences in basal ganglia shapes between the two groups. There were no volume or shape differences in girls with ADHD. The shape compression pattern in the basal ganglia of boys that have ADHD suggests that there are certain deviations associated with ADHD in typical brain developments that involve, multiple frontal – subcortical control loops, circuits with premotor, oculomotor, and prefrontal cortices. Using this research and looking further into basal ganglia structures and other brain structures can be a useful tool in the diagnosis and treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.