Frontostriatal connectivity and its role in cognitive control in parent-child dyads with ADHD.

TitleFrontostriatal connectivity and its role in cognitive control in parent-child dyads with ADHD.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2007
AuthorsCasey BJ, Epstein JN, Buhle J, Liston C, Davidson MC, Tonev ST, Spicer J, Niogi S, Millner AJ, Reiss A, Garrett A, Hinshaw SP, Greenhill LL, Shafritz KM, Vitolo A, Kotler LA, Jarrett MA, Glover G
JournalAm J Psychiatry
Volume164
Issue11
Pagination1729-36
Date Published2007 Nov
ISSN0002-953X
KeywordsAdolescent, Adult, Algorithms, Anisotropy, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Brain Mapping, Cognition, Cognition Disorders, Control Groups, Corpus Striatum, Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Female, Frontal Lobe, Functional Laterality, Humans, Individuality, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Middle Aged, Myelin Sheath, Neural Pathways, Parent-Child Relations, Prefrontal Cortex, Psychomotor Performance
Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Many studies have linked the structure and function of frontostriatal circuitry to cognitive control deficits in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Few studies have examined the role of white matter tracts between these structures or the extent to which white matter tract myelination and regularity correlate in family members with the disorder.

METHOD: Functional imaging maps from a go/nogo task were used to identify portions of the ventral prefrontal cortex and striatum involved in suppressing an inappropriate action (i.e., cognitive control) in 30 parent-child dyads (N=60), including 20 dyads (N=40) with ADHD and 10 dyads (N=20) without ADHD. An automated fiber-tracking algorithm was used to delineate white matter fibers adjacent to these functionally defined regions based on diffusion tensor images. Fractional anisotropy, an index of white matter tract myelination and regularity derived from diffusion tensor images, was calculated to characterize the associations between white matter tracts and function.

RESULTS: Fractional anisotropy in right prefrontal fiber tracts correlated with both functional activity in the inferior frontal gyrus and caudate nucleus and performance of a go/nogo task in parent-child dyads with ADHD, even after controlling for age. Prefrontal fiber tract measures were tightly associated between ADHD parents and their children.

CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, these findings support previous studies suggesting heritability of frontostriatal structures among individuals with ADHD and suggest disruption in frontostriatal white matter tracts as one possible pathway to the disorder.

DOI10.1176/appi.ajp.2007.06101754
Alternate JournalAm J Psychiatry
PubMed ID17974939
Grant ListR01 MH064179-02 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States
R01 MH064179 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States
K24 MH064478 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States
K24 MH064478-01 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States
MH064176 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States
MH064182 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States
MH064179 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States
K24 MH064478-04 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States
K24 MH064478-03 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States
R01 MH064179-01A1 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States
K24 MH064478-02 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States
K24 MH064478-05 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States
MH064166 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States
MH064177 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States
Related Institute: 
Brain Health Imaging Institute (BHII)

Weill Cornell Medicine
Department of Radiology
525 East 68th Street New York, NY 10065