RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Quantitative tractography reveals changes in the corticospinal tract in drug-naïve children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
JF Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience
JO J Psychiatry Neurosci
FD Canadian Medical Association
SP 134
OP 141
DO 10.1503/jpn.190024
VO 45
IS 2
A1 Xuan Bu
A1 Chuang Yang
A1 Kaili Liang
A1 Qingxia Lin
A1 Lu Lu
A1 Lianqing Zhang
A1 Hailong Li
A1 Yingxue Gao
A1 Shi Tang
A1 Xiaoxiao Hu
A1 Yanlin Wang
A1 Xinyu Hu
A1 Meihao Wang
A1 Xiaoqi Huang
YR 2020
UL http://jpn.ca/content/45/2/134.abstract
AB Background: The specific role of the corticospinal tract with respect to inattention and impulsive symptoms in children with attentiondeficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been explored in the past. However, to our knowledge, no study has identified the exact regions of the corticospinal tract that are affected in ADHD. We aimed to determine comprehensive alterations in the white matter microstructure of the corticospinal tract and underlying neuropsychological substrates in ADHD.Methods: We recruited 38 drug-naïve children with ADHD and 34 typically developing controls. We employed a tract-based quantitative approach to measure diffusion parameters along the trajectory of the corticospinal tract, and we further correlated alterations with attention and response inhibition measures.Results: Compared with controls, children with ADHD demonstrated significantly lower fractional anisotropy and higher radial diffusivity at the level of cerebral peduncle, and higher fractional anisotropy at the level of the posterior limb of the internal capsule in the right corticospinal tract only. As well, increased fractional anisotropy in the posterior limb of the internal capsule was negatively correlated with continuous performance test attention quotients and positively correlated with reaction time on the Stroop Colour–Word Test; increased radial diffusivity in the right peduncle region was positively correlated with omissions in the Stroop test.Limitations: The sample size was relatively small. Moreover, we did not consider the different subtypes of ADHD and lacked sufficient power to analyze subgroup differences. Higher-order diffusion modelling is needed in future white matter studies.Conclusion: We demonstrated specific changes in the right corticospinal tract in children with ADHD. Correlations with measures of attention and response inhibition underscored the functional importance of corticospinal tract disturbance in ADHD.