Differences in brain chemistry in children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with and without comorbid bipolar disorder: a proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy study.
OBJECTIVE
The authors' goal was to investigate phosphatidylinositol and glutamatergic metabolism in the anterior cingulate cortex of children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) alone, children with ADHD plus bipolar disorder, and children with no axis I diagnosis.


METHODS
Proton spectra were acquired from a 4.8-ml voxel placed in the anterior cingulate cortex of 30 subjects who were 6 to 13 years old. Fifteen subjects had ADHD and no comorbid disorder, eight had ADHD plus bipolar disorder, and seven were healthy comparison subjects.


RESULTS
Children with ADHD had a significantly higher ratio of glutamate plus glutamine to myo-inositol-containing compounds than children with ADHD plus bipolar disorder and healthy children.


CONCLUSIONS
myo-Inositol-containing compounds may provide information on the action of antimanic treatments such as lithium, valproate, and carbamazepine. Glutamate and glutamine are measures of glutamatergic neurotransmission and thus may also reflect changes in serotonin and dopamine pathways.
Moore
Constance M
CM
Brain Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478, USA. const@mclean.harvard.edu.
Biederman
Joseph
J
Wozniak
Janet
J
Mick
Eric
E
Aleardi
Megan
M
Wardrop
Megan
M
Dougherty
Meghan
M
Harpold
Terri
T
Hammerness
Paul
P
Randall
Edin
E
Renshaw
Perry F
PF
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D002648:Child; D015897:Comorbidity; D003401:Creatine / Q000378:metabolism; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D005973:Glutamine / Q000378:metabolism; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007294:Inositol / Q000378:metabolism; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010725:Phosphocreatine / Q000378:metabolism; D011522:Protons; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D014018:Tissue Distribution
D011522:Protons; D010725:Phosphocreatine; D005973:Glutamine; D012701:Serotonin; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D007294:Inositol; D003401:Creatine; D004298:Dopamine