Cerebellar network alterations in adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

J Psychiatry Neurosci

From the Institute of Translational Neurodevelopment, Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK (Parkkinen, Andrews, Murphy, Dell'Acqua, Parlatini); the Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK (Parkkinen, Murphy, Dell'Acqua, Parlatini); the Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, CIBERSAM, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain (Radua); the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, USA (Andrews); the Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK (Dell'Acqua); the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UK (Dell'Acqua); the School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK (Parlatini); the Solent NHS Trust, Southampton, UK (Parlatini)

Published: July 2024

AI Article Synopsis

  • The study investigates the contribution of cerebellar peduncles to the pathophysiology of ADHD in adults, focusing on brain connectivity differences.
  • Researchers analyzed brain imaging data from 60 ADHD participants (categorized by treatment response) and 20 controls, finding significant variations in certain tract metrics related to white-matter microstructural organization and myelination.
  • The research highlights a link between alterations in the middle cerebellar peduncle and hyperactivity, while acknowledging limitations, such as the exclusive focus on male participants.

Article Abstract

Background: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that often persists into adulthood. Underlying alterations in brain connectivity have been identified but some relevant connections, such as the middle, superior, and inferior cerebellar peduncles (MCP, SCP, and ICP, respectively), have remained largely unexplored; thus, we sought to investigate whether the cerebellar peduncles contribute to ADHD pathophysiology among adults.

Methods: We applied diffusion-weighted spherical deconvolution tractography to dissect the cerebellar peduncles of male adults with ADHD (including those who did or did not respond to methylphenidate, based on at least 30% symptom improvement at 2 months) and controls. We investigated differences in tract metrics between controls and the whole ADHD sample and between controls and treatment-response groups using sensitivity analyses. Finally, we analyzed the association between the tract metrics and cliniconeuropsychological profiles.

Results: We included 60 participants with ADHD (including 42 treatment responders and 18 nonresponders) and 20 control participants. In the whole ADHD sample, MCP fractional anisotropy (FA; = 3.24, = 0.002) and hindrance modulated orientational anisotropy (HMOA; = 3.01, = 0.004) were reduced, and radial diffusivity (RD) in the right ICP was increased ( = -2.84, = 0.006), compared with controls. Although case-control differences in MCP FA and HMOA, which reflect white-matter microstructural organization, were driven by both treatment response groups, only responders significantly differed from controls in right ICP RD, which relates to myelination ( = 3.14, = 0.003). Hindrance modulated orientational anisotropy of the MCP was significantly positively associated with hyperactivity measures.

Limitations: This study included only male adults with ADHD. Further research needs to investigate potential sex- and development-related differences.

Conclusion: These results support the role of the cerebellar networks, especially of the MCP, in adult ADHD pathophysiology and should encourage further investigation.

Clinical Trial Registration: NCT03709940.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11230668PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1503/jpn.230146DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

cerebellar peduncles
12
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
8
adhd
8
adhd pathophysiology
8
male adults
8
adults adhd
8
adhd including
8
tract metrics
8
adhd sample
8
participants adhd
8

Similar Publications

Background: Traditionally linked to essential physiological functions, the brainstem is now acknowledged for its role in cognition and dementia. Abnormal tau protein accumulation starts in the brainstem. Late life brainstem volume at baseline also predicts later Alzheimer's Disease conversion.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) can present with different clinical variants which show distinct, but partially overlapping, patterns of neurodegeneration and tau deposition in a PSP network of regions, including cerebellar dentate, superior cerebellar peduncle, midbrain, thalamus, basal ganglia, and frontal lobe. We sought to determine whether disruptions in functional connectivity within this PSP network measured using resting‐state functional MRI (rs‐fMRI) differed between PSP‐Richardson’s syndrome and the cortical and subcortical variants of PSP.

Method: Structural MRI and rs‐fMRI scans were collected for 40 PSP‐RS, 24 PSP‐cortical (12 speech and language; 10 corticobasal syndrome; 2 frontal) and 36 PSP‐subcortical (18 parkinsonism; 11 progressive gait freezing; 6 postural instability; 1 oculomotor) participants who met the Movement Disorder Society PSP clinical criteria (Table 1).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

[Genetic analysis of a child with Leukoencephalopathy with ataxia caused by a homozygous variant of CLCN2 gene and a literature review].

Zhonghua Yi Xue Yi Chuan Xue Za Zhi

January 2025

Department of Neurology, the Affiliated Children's Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University (Hunan Children's Hospital), Changsha, Hunan 410007, China.

Objective: To explore the clinical manifestations and genetic characteristics of a child with Leukoencephalopathy with ataxia (LKPAT) caused by a CLCN2 gene variant.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of a child admitted to Hunan Children's Hospital in June 2024 due to "intermittent convulsions for 13 days". Peripheral blood samples were collected from the child and his parents for whole exome sequencing, followed by Sanger sequencing validation and pathogenicity analysis of candidate variants.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Postoperative pediatric cerebellar mutism syndrome (ppCMS) poses serious morbidity after posterior fossa tumor surgery. Neuroimaging studies aim to understand its pathophysiology, yet these vary in methodology and outcome measures. Therefore, we systematically reviewed the current literature to evaluate the evidence for differences in neuroimaging features between children with and without ppCMS.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Chronic Lymphocytic Inflammation With Pontine Perivascular Enhancement Responsive to Steroids Presenting With Predominantly Neuro-Ophthalmic Features.

J Neuroophthalmol

January 2025

Departments of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences (HMM, AH, EM), and Radiology (DMM), University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; Department of Ophthalmology (LD), McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada; Departments of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, and Neurology (JDT), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Department of Neurology (JDT), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine (EM), University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.

Background: Chronic lymphocytic inflammation with pontine perivascular enhancement responsive to steroids (CLIPPERS) is a rare and poorly understood inflammatory disorder of the central nervous system centered on the pons. It has a characteristic imaging appearance with enhancing and T2-hyperintense punctate and curvilinear lesions in the pons. The lesions lack restricted diffusion and have relatively little perilesional edema.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!