Caudate nucleus volume and cognitive performance: Are they related in childhood psychopathology?
BACKGROUND
Impaired neuropsychological test performance, especially on tests of executive function and attention, is often seen in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Structures involved in fronto-striatal circuitry, such as the caudate nucleus, may support these cognitive abilities. However, few studies have examined caudate volumes specifically in children with ASD, or correlated caudate volumes to cognitive ability.


METHODS
Neuropsychological test scores and caudate volumes of children with ASD were compared to those of children with bipolar disorder (BD) and of typically developing (TD) children. The relationship between test performance and caudate volumes was analyzed.


RESULTS
The ASD group displayed larger right and left caudate volumes, and modest executive deficits, compared to TD controls. While caudate volume inversely predicted performance on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test in all participants, it differentially predicted performance on measures of attention across the ASD, BD and TD groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Larger caudate volumes were related to impaired problem solving. On a test of attention, larger left caudate volumes predicted increased impulsivity and more omission errors in the ASD group as compared to the TD group, however smaller volume predicted poorer discriminant responding as compared to the BD group.
Voelbel
Gerald T
GT
Center of Alcohol Studies, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA.
Bates
Marsha E
ME
Buckman
Jennifer F
JF
Pandina
Gahan
G
Hendren
Robert L
RL
D000293:Adolescent; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000473:pathology*; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence / Q000502:physiology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011340:Problem Solving / Q000502:physiology; D012044:Regression Analysis