title: Reduced insular volume in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether structural differences in the insula and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), two critical areas of the "salience network," co-exist in adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) compared with healthy controls (HC). In addition we aimed to determine if structural changes within these regions correlate with attention and inhibitory function. Nineteen adolescents with ADHD and 25 HC received MRI scans on a 3T magnet. Morphometric analysis was performed with FreeSurfer. Youths with ADHD were found to have a bilateral reduction in anterior insular (AIC) gray matter volumes compared to HC. Furthermore, the left AIC was found to positively correlate with oppositional symptoms, while the right AIC was found to associate with both attention problems and inhibition. To our knowledge this is the first report of a bilateral reduction in AIC volumes in ADHD. Our findings suggest a role for the insula in modulating attention and inhibitory capacity in ADHD.
authors.affiliation: The Brain Institute, University of Utah, 383 Colorow Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, United States. melissa.lopez-larson@hsc.utah.edu
authors.forename: Melissa Patricia
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Lopez-Larson
authors.forename: Jace Bradford
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: Janine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Terry
authors.forename: Erin Catherine
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: McGlade
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yurgelun-Todd
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000473:pathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size