ADHD Brain Shows Abnormalities
U.S.
researchers reported brain scans of children with attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder show anatomical abnormalities beyond a chemical imbalance.
The study by
North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health Center was presented at the annual
meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.
A second study
by the same authors showed stimulant medications prescribed to balance
brain chemistry appear to normalize some of these brain irregularities.
"We found abnormality
of the fiber pathways in the frontal cortex, basal ganglia, brain stem
and cerebellum," said lead author Manzar Ashtari.
"These areas
are involved in the processes that regulate attention, impulsive behavior,
motor activity and inhibition -- the key symptoms in ADHD children."
The study used
diffusion tensor imaging to compare 18 children with diagnosed ADHD with
15 control children to evaluate the brain's white-matter fiber development.
Researchers found differences in the brain fiber pathways that transmit
and receive information among brain areas.
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