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Brain structural deficits and working memory fMRI dysfunction in young adults who were diagnosed with ADHD in adolescence.


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Authors

Roman-Urrestarazu, Andres 
Lindholm, Päivi 
Moilanen, Irma 
Kiviniemi, Vesa 
Miettunen, Jouko 

Abstract

When adolescents with ADHD enter adulthood, some no longer meet disorder diagnostic criteria but it is unknown if biological and cognitive abnorma lities persist. We tested the hypothesis that people diagnosed with ADHD during adolescence present residual brain abnormalities both in brain structure and in working memory brain function. 83 young adults (aged 20-24 years) from the Northern Finland 1986 Birth Cohort were classified as diagnosed with ADHD in adolescence (adolescence ADHD, n = 49) or a control group (n = 34). Only one patient had received medication for ADHD. T1-weighted brain scans were acquired and processed in a voxel-based analysis using permutation-based statistics. A sub-sample of both groups (ADHD, n = 21; controls n = 23) also performed a Sternberg working memory task whilst acquiring fMRI data. Areas of structural difference were used as a region of interest to evaluate the implications that structural abnormalities found in the ADHD group might have on working memory function. There was lower grey matter volume bilaterally in adolescence ADHD participants in the caudate (p < 0.05 FWE corrected across the whole brain) at age 20-24. Working memory was poorer in adolescence ADHD participants, with associated failure to show normal load-dependent caudate activation. Young adults diagnosed with ADHD in adolescence have structural and functional deficits in the caudate associated with abnormal working memory function. These findings are not secondary to stimulant treatment, and emphasise the importance of taking a wider perspective on ADHD outcomes than simply whether or not a particular patient meets diagnostic criteria at any given point in time.

Description

Keywords

ADHD, Hyperkinetic, MRI, Memory, Neuroanatomy, VBM, Adolescent, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Brain, Cohort Studies, Female, Finland, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Memory Disorders, Memory, Short-Term, Photic Stimulation, Psychomotor Performance, Young Adult

Journal Title

Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1018-8827
1435-165X

Volume Title

Publisher

Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Sponsorship
Medical Research Council (G0001354)
Medical Research Council (G1000183)
Medical Research Council (G0701911)
Wellcome Trust (093875/Z/10/Z)
Medical Research Council (G0701911/1)
This work was supported by an Academy of Finland Award to Dr Veijola; a Sigrid Juselius Foundation grant to Dr Moilanen; a Medical Research Council fellowship to Dr Murray (G0701911); a NARSAD, the Brain and Behavior Research Fund independent investigator award to Dr Miettunen; an Oon Khye Beng Ch'Hia Tsio Studentships in Preventative Medicine awarded by Downing College, Cambridge to Dr Roman-Urrestarazu together with a Becas Chile Doctoral Grant awarded by CONICYT, an Academy of Finland grant and Finnish Medical Foundation grant to Dr Kiviniemi, and an award from the Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation, Finland, to Dr Mäki.. The work was partially conducted with the University of Cambridge Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Centre, supported by a joint award from the Medical Research Council (G1000183) and Wellcome Trust (093875/Z/10Z).