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Decreased regional cortical thickness and thinning rate are associated with inattention symptoms in healthy children.

ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVE:Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have delayed cortical maturation, evidenced by regionally specific slower cortical thinning. However, the relationship between cortical maturation and attention capacities in typically developing children is unknown. This study examines cortical thickness correlates of inattention symptoms in a large sample of healthy children. METHOD:Data from 357 healthy subjects (6.0-18.4 years of age) were obtained from the NIH MRI Study of Normal Brain Development. In cross-sectional analysis (first visit, n = 257), Child Behavior Checklist Attention Problems (AP) scores were linearly regressed against cortical thickness, controlling for age, gender, total brain volume, and site. For longitudinal data (up to three visits, n = 357/672 scans), similar analyses were performed using mixed-effects linear regressions. Interactions of AP with age and gender were tested. RESULTS:A cross-sectional "AP by age" interaction was found in bilateral orbito-frontal cortex, right inferior frontal cortex, bilateral ventromedial prefrontal cortex, bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and several additional attention network regions. The interaction was due to negative associations between AP and thickness in younger subjects (6-10 years of age) that gradually disappeared over time secondary to slower cortical thinning. Similar trends were present in longitudinal analyses. CONCLUSIONS:Higher AP scores were associated with thinner cortex at baseline and slower cortical thinning with aging in multiple areas involved in attention processes. Similar patterns have been identified in ADHD, suggesting a dimensional component to the link between attention and cortical maturation. The identified association between cortical maturation and attention in healthy development will help to inform studies of neuroimaging biomarkers of ADHD.

SUBMITTER: Ducharme S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3297982 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Decreased regional cortical thickness and thinning rate are associated with inattention symptoms in healthy children.

Ducharme Simon S Hudziak James J JJ Botteron Kelly N KN Albaugh Matthew D MD Nguyen Tuong-Vi TV Karama Sherif S Evans Alan C AC

Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 20111125 1

<h4>Objective</h4>Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have delayed cortical maturation, evidenced by regionally specific slower cortical thinning. However, the relationship between cortical maturation and attention capacities in typically developing children is unknown. This study examines cortical thickness correlates of inattention symptoms in a large sample of healthy children.<h4>Method</h4>Data from 357 healthy subjects (6.0-18.4 years of age) were obtained from th ...[more]

PMID: 22176936

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Project description:Cortical abnormalities have been noted in previous studies of major depressive disorder (MDD).To hypothesize differences in regional cortical thickness among children with MDD, children with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and healthy controls.Cross-sectional study of groups.Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit.A total of 24 psychotropic drug-naive pediatric patients with MDD (9 boys and 15 girls), 24 psychotropic drug-naive pediatric outpatients with OCD (8 boys and 16 girls), and 30 healthy controls (10 boys and 20 girls).Magnetic resonance imaging.Cortical thickness.In the right hemisphere of the brain, the pericalcarine gyrus was thinner in patients with MDD than in outpatients with OCD (P = .002) or healthy controls (P = .04), the postcentral gyrus was thinner in patients with MDD than in outpatients with OCD (P = .002) or healthy controls (P = .02), and the superior parietal gyrus was thinner in patients with MDD than in outpatients with OCD (P = .008) or healthy controls (P = .03). The outpatients with OCD and the healthy controls did not differ in these regions of the brain. The temporal pole was thicker in patients with MDD than in outpatients with OCD (P < .001) or healthy controls (P = .01), both of which groups did not differ in temporal pole thickness. The cuneus was thinner in patients with MDD than in outpatients with OCD (P = .008), but it did not differ from that in healthy controls. In the left hemisphere, the supramarginal gyrus was thinner in both patients with MDD (P = .04) and outpatients with OCD (P = .01) than in healthy controls, and the temporal pole was thicker in patients with MDD than in both healthy controls and outpatients with OCD (P < .001).To our knowledge, this is the first study to explore cortical thickness in pediatric patients with MDD. Although differences in some regions of the brain would be expected given neurobiological models of MDD, our study highlights some unexpected regions (ie, supramarginal and superior parietal gyri) that merit further investigation. These results underscore the need to expand exploration beyond the frontal-limbic circuit.

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Decreased regional cortical thickness and thinning rate are associated with inattention symptoms in healthy children.

Publications

Decreased regional cortical thickness and thinning rate are associated with inattention symptoms in healthy children.

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