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Brains of Those with ADHD Show Smaller Structures Related to Emotion
People diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder have smaller brain volume than those without the disorder.
ADHD, a neurodevelopmental disorder, can cause inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. More than one in 20 people younger than 18 is affected by the disorder. Two-thirds of those affected have symptoms into adulthood.
For the study, the researchers re-examined data collected by a variety of ADHD studies at 23 research sites around the world. Participants included a total of 1,713 people with a diagnosis of ADHD and 1,529 people without a diagnosis, ranging in age from 4 to 63 years old.
Within these studies, MRI scans measured each participant's overall brain volume plus the volume of seven brain regions thought to be linked to ADHD: the pallidum, thalamus, caudate nucleus, putamen, nucleus accumbens, amygdala and hippocampus.
The researchers discovered that overall brain volume and the volumes of five regions in particular -- the caudate nucleus, putamen, nucleus accumbens, amygdala and hippocampus -- were smaller in people with ADHD than in others, with the biggest difference occurring in the amygdala. That's the part of the brain responsible for emotions.
Differences were most prominent in the brains of children with ADHD and less obvious in the brains of adults with the disorder.
Similar studies have been performed in schizophrenia, depression, OCD and Bipolar, and similar sized differences were found, some in overlapping regions and some in different regions. (Tasnim News Agency)