Dataset Information

Current self-reported symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder are associated with total brain volume in healthy adults.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Reduced total brain volume is a consistent finding in children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In order to get a better understanding of the neurobiology of ADHD, we take the first step in studying the dimensionality of current self-reported adult ADHD symptoms, by looking at its relation with total brain volume.

Methodology/principal findings

In a sample of 652 highly educated adults, the association between total brain volume, assessed with magnetic resonance imaging, and current number of self-reported ADHD symptoms was studied. The results showed an association between these self-reported ADHD symptoms and total brain volume. Post-hoc analysis revealed that the symptom domain of inattention had the strongest association with total brain volume. In addition, the threshold for impairment coincides with the threshold for brain volume reduction.

Conclusions/significance

This finding improves our understanding of the biological substrates of self-reported ADHD symptoms, and suggests total brain volume as a target intermediate phenotype for future gene-finding in ADHD.

SUBMITTER: Hoogman M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3277496 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Current self-reported symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder are associated with total brain volume in healthy adults.

Hoogman Martine M Rijpkema Mark M Janss Luc L Brunner Han H Fernandez Guillen G Buitelaar Jan J Franke Barbara B Arias-Vásquez Alejandro A

PloS one 20120210 2

<h4>Background</h4>Reduced total brain volume is a consistent finding in children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In order to get a better understanding of the neurobiology of ADHD, we take the first step in studying the dimensionality of current self-reported adult ADHD symptoms, by looking at its relation with total brain volume.<h4>Methodology/principal findings</h4>In a sample of 652 highly educated adults, the association between total brain volume, assessed with magne ...[more]

PMID: 22348063

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Project description:BackgroundFor the diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) proposes that adherence to six symptoms in either group (inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity) will lead to the diagnosis of one of three presentations of the disorder. Underlying this diagnostic algorithm is the assumption that the 18 symptoms have equal relevance for the diagnosis of ADHD, all are equally severe, and all have the same power to detect the presence of the disorder in all its degrees of severity, without considering the possibility of using marker symptoms. However, several studies have suggested that ADHD symptoms differ in both their power to discriminate the presence of the disorder and the degree of severity they represent. The aim of the present study was to replicate the results of previous research by evaluating the discriminative capacity and relative severity of ADHD symptoms, as well as to extend the investigation of this topic to Spanish-speaking Latin American samples.MethodsThe properties of ADHD symptoms rated by the parents of 474 Chilean children were analyzed. Symptom parameters were estimated using the graded response model.ResultsThe results suggest that symptoms of ADHD differ substantially in both the accuracy with which they reflect the presence of the disorder, and their relative severity. Symptoms "easily distracted by extraneous stimuli" and "have difficulty sustaining attention in tasks" (inattention) and "is on the go, acting as if driven by motor" (hyperactivity/impulsivity) were the most informative, and those with relatively lower severity thresholds.DiscussionThe fact that symptoms differ substantially in the probability of being observed conditionally to the trait level suggests the need to refine the diagnostic process by weighting the severity of the symptom, and even to assess the possibility of defining ADHD marker symptoms, as has been done in other disorders.

Dataset Information

Current self-reported symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder are associated with total brain volume in healthy adults.

Background

Methodology/principal findings

Conclusions/significance

Publications

Current self-reported symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder are associated with total brain volume in healthy adults.

Similar Datasets

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