title: Postural sway and regional cerebellar volume in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Motor abnormalities, including impaired balance and increased postural sway, are commonly reported in children with ADHD, but have yet to be investigated in adults with ADHD. Furthermore, although these abnormalities are thought to stem from cerebellar deficits, evidence for an association between the cerebellum and these motor deficits has yet to be provided for either adults or children with ADHD.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, we measured postural sway in adults with ADHD and controls, examining the relationship between sway and regional cerebellar gray matter volume. Thirty-two ADHD and 28 control participants completed various standing-posture tasks on a Wii balance board.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Postural sway was significantly higher for the ADHD group compared to the healthy controls. Higher sway was positively associated with regional gray matter volume in the right posterior cerebellum (lobule VIII/IX).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings show that sway abnormalities commonly reported in children with ADHD are also present in adults, and for the first time show a relationship between postural control atypicalities and the cerebellum in this group. Our findings extend the literature on motor abnormalities in ADHD and contribute to our knowledge of their neural substrate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Hove
authors.affiliation: Neurometrika, Potomac, MD 20854, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Zeffiro
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Biederman
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA.
authors.forename: Zhi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
authors.forename: Jeremy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schmahmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA.
authors.forename: Eve M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Valera
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002525:Cerebellar Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); Cerebellum; Postural balance