New potential leads in the biology and treatment of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder.

Full Abstract

PURPOSE

OF REVIEW:
This review highlights recent neuroimaging and genetic studies of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder that may inform biologically targeted interventions and treatments.

RECENT FINDINGS:
The findings suggest that attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder is characterized by specific learning and cognitive deficits due to abnormalities in dopamine-rich prefrontal circuitry, of genetic or environmental origins. In addition to prefrontal cortical areas, the basal ganglia, cerebellum, and parietal cortex have been implicated in the condition. These regions are part of unique circuits that project both to and from the prefrontal cortex, thus providing a means for signaling prefrontal regions when top-down control of behavior needs to be imposed. Ineffective signaling of control systems by any one of these regions can lead to poor regulation of behavior. Likewise, intact signaling but inefficient top-down control could result in poor regulation of behavior.

SUMMARY:
Identification of which cognitive and neural processes are altered in attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder and acknowledgement of different casuses of the condition will lead to more individualized, biologically targeted interventions and treatments. This new direction in research and treatment has occurred as the result of a shift from diagnosis as a phenotype, to refined phenotypes of core cognitive deficits that can be more easily tied to the underlying biology.

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Author information

Author/s: Casey, B J (BJ); Nigg, Joel T (JT); Durston, Sarah (S);

Affiliation: Sackler Institute for Developmental Psychobiology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York 10021, USA.

Grants: R01 DA018879 (Agency:NIDA NIH HHS) ; R01 MH064166 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS) ; R21 MH 070542 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; Review

Journal: Current opinion in neurology (Curr Opin Neurol), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2007-Apr; vol 20 (issue 2) : pp 119-24

Dates: Created 2007/03/12; Completed 2007/05/17; Revised 2007/12/03;

PMID: 17351480, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Animals
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - genetics; pathology; physiopathology; therapy

Diagnostic Imaging
Humans

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