Children with ADHD have smaller brains than healthy peers
Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have reduced brain volume, researchers from the Kennedy Krieger Institute have found. The fresh research continues to shed light on how ADHD functions as a biological and cognitive condition.
E. Mark Mahone, PhD, led a team of scientists in evaluating 90 preschoolers between the ages of 4 and 5, about half of whom were diagnosed with ADHD, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The team used high-resolution MRI coupled with cognitive and behavioral measures to closely examine the kids’ brains.
The researchers found that children with ADHD recorded smaller brain volumes than their peers, particularly in the frontal, temporal and parietal lobes of the cerebral cortex.
“These findings confirm what parents have known for awhile—even in very young children, ADHD is a real biological condition with pronounced physical and cognitive manifestations,” Mahone said.
The team at Kennedy Krieger said they’re planning to follow the same group of children for several years of study.
Read the full AJC report below:
After graduating from Indiana University-Bloomington with a bachelor’s in journalism, Anicka joined TriMed’s Chicago team in 2017 covering cardiology. Close to her heart is long-form journalism, Pilot G-2 pens, dark chocolate and her dog Harper Lee.