Frontoorbital volume reductions in adult patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common psychiatric disorder in childhood and adolescence and in a considerable number of patients it persists into adulthood. A network of brain regions have been shown to be abnormal in ADHD. In the present study we used magnetic resonance volumetry to investigate a possible role of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). Eight never medicated male patients fulfilling diagnostic criteria for ADHD and 17 male healthy controls were investigated. There was a significant reduction of the volume of the left OFC in patients with ADHD. It remains unknown whether small volumes are a primary deficit or a result of dysfunctional activation during childhood in terms of a residual deficit or a specific type of adult outcome of the disease.
Hesslinger
B
B
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Albert-Ludwigs-University, Hauptstrasse 5, 79104, Freiburg, Germany. bernd_hesslinger@psyalig.uki.uni-freiburg.de
Tebartz van Elst
L
L
Thiel
T
T
Haegele
K
K
Hennig
J
J
Ebert
D
D
D000328:Adult; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male