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Health Dictionary

Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.

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Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder other imaging findings

Introduction

Overview

Overview

The diagnosis of ADHD is mostly clinical, based on a thorough history and physical exam. Imaging studies should not be routinely done, but rather be guided by pertinent findings in the history and physical exam.[1]

Imaging Findings

Imaging Findings

MRI

High resolution MRI in ADHD shows:

  • Decreased overall brain volume
  • Decreased gray matter volume
  • Decreased cortical thickness
  • Increased white matter volume

These effects are most pronounced in the areas of the prefrontal cortex, caudate and cerebellum.[2][3][4]

SPECT

  • SPECT scans in patients with ADHD may reveal orbito-frontal and cerebellar hypoperfusion.[5]

PET

  • PET scan shows decreased activity in the front-straito-cerebellar and limbic networks.[6]
References

References

  1. ↑ Taylor E, Döpfner M, Sergeant J, Asherson P, Banaschewski T, Buitelaar J, Coghill D, Danckaerts M, Rothenberger A, Sonuga-Barke E, Steinhausen HC, Zuddas A (2004). “European clinical guidelines for hyperkinetic disorder — first upgrade”. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 13 Suppl 1: I7–30. doi:10.1007/s00787-004-1002-x. PMID 15322953.
  2. ↑ Narr KL, Woods RP, Lin J, Kim J, Phillips OR, Del’Homme M, Caplan R, Toga AW, McCracken JT, Levitt JG (2009). “Widespread cortical thinning is a robust anatomical marker for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder”. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 48 (10): 1014–22. doi:10.1097/CHI.0b013e3181b395c0. PMC 2891193. PMID 19730275.
  3. ↑ Seidman LJ, Valera EM, Makris N (2005). “Structural brain imaging of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder”. Biol. Psychiatry. 57 (11): 1263–72. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2004.11.019. PMID 15949998.
  4. ↑ Makris N, Liang L, Biederman J, Valera EM, Brown AB, Petty C, Spencer TJ, Faraone SV, Seidman LJ (2015). “Toward Defining the Neural Substrates of ADHD: A Controlled Structural MRI Study in Medication-Naïve Adults”. J Atten Disord. 19 (11): 944–53. doi:10.1177/1087054713506041. PMID 24189200.
  5. ↑ Schneider H, Thornton JF, Freeman MA, McLean MK, van Lierop MJ, Schneider J (2014). “Conventional SPECT Versus 3D Thresholded SPECT Imaging in the Diagnosis of ADHD: A Retrospective Study”. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 26 (4): 335–43. doi:10.1176/appi.neuropsych.12110280. PMID 26037855.
  6. ↑ del Campo N, Fryer TD, Hong YT, Smith R, Brichard L, Acosta-Cabronero J, Chamberlain SR, Tait R, Izquierdo D, Regenthal R, Dowson J, Suckling J, Baron JC, Aigbirhio FI, Robbins TW, Sahakian BJ, Müller U (2013). “A positron emission tomography study of nigro-striatal dopaminergic mechanisms underlying attention: implications for ADHD and its treatment”. Brain. 136 (Pt 11): 3252–70. doi:10.1093/brain/awt263. PMC 4125626. PMID 24163364.

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Haleigh Williams, B.S., Dima Nimri, M.D. [2]