Frontostriatal connectivity and its role in cognitive control in parent-child dyads with ADHD.
OBJECTIVE
Many studies have linked the structure and function of frontostriatal circuitry to cognitive control deficits in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Few studies have examined the role of white matter tracts between these structures or the extent to which white matter tract myelination and regularity correlate in family members with the disorder.


METHODS
Functional imaging maps from a go/nogo task were used to identify portions of the ventral prefrontal cortex and striatum involved in suppressing an inappropriate action (i.e., cognitive control) in 30 parent-child dyads (N=60), including 20 dyads (N=40) with ADHD and 10 dyads (N=20) without ADHD. An automated fiber-tracking algorithm was used to delineate white matter fibers adjacent to these functionally defined regions based on diffusion tensor images. Fractional anisotropy, an index of white matter tract myelination and regularity derived from diffusion tensor images, was calculated to characterize the associations between white matter tracts and function.


RESULTS
Fractional anisotropy in right prefrontal fiber tracts correlated with both functional activity in the inferior frontal gyrus and caudate nucleus and performance of a go/nogo task in parent-child dyads with ADHD, even after controlling for age. Prefrontal fiber tract measures were tightly associated between ADHD parents and their children.


CONCLUSIONS
Collectively, these findings support previous studies suggesting heritability of frontostriatal structures among individuals with ADHD and suggest disruption in frontostriatal white matter tracts as one possible pathway to the disorder.
Casey
B J
BJ
Sackler Institute, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, 1300 York Ave., Box 140, New York, NY 10021, USA. bjc68@cornell.edu
Epstein
Jeffery N
JN
Buhle
Jason
J
Liston
Conor
C
Davidson
Matthew C
MC
Tonev
Simon T
ST
Spicer
Julie
J
Niogi
Sumit
S
Millner
Alexander J
AJ
Reiss
Allan
A
Garrett
Amy
A
Hinshaw
Stephen P
SP
Greenhill
Laurence L
LL
Shafritz
Keith M
KM
Vitolo
Alan
A
Kotler
Lisa A
LA
Jarrett
Matthew A
MA
Glover
Gary
G
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D016880:Anisotropy; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D035061:Control Groups; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000503:physiopathology*; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000502:physiology; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology