Frontoorbital volume reductions in adult patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Neurosci Lett. 2002 Aug 16;328(3):319-21. doi: 10.1016/s0304-3940(02)00554-2.

Abstract

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common psychiatric disorder in childhood and adolescence and in a considerable number of patients it persists into adulthood. A network of brain regions have been shown to be abnormal in ADHD. In the present study we used magnetic resonance volumetry to investigate a possible role of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). Eight never medicated male patients fulfilling diagnostic criteria for ADHD and 17 male healthy controls were investigated. There was a significant reduction of the volume of the left OFC in patients with ADHD. It remains unknown whether small volumes are a primary deficit or a result of dysfunctional activation during childhood in terms of a residual deficit or a specific type of adult outcome of the disease.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / diagnosis*
  • Frontal Lobe / pathology*
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging*
  • Male