Preliminary evidence for a lower brain age in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Bibliographic Data

ID15524955
AuthorsFlorian Kurth (0000-0002-3807-473X, University of Auckland, corresponding author), Jennifer G Levitt (0000-0002-0884-0085, University of California, Los Angeles), Christian Gaser (0000-0002-9940-099X, Jena University Hospital), Jeffry R Alger (0000-0003-1699-089X, University of California, Los Angeles), Jeffry Alger, Sandra K Loo (0000-0002-9108-0565, University of California, Los Angeles), Katherine L Narr (0000-0002-9396-7936, University of California, Los Angeles), Joseph O’Neill (0000-0003-2216-3903, University of California, Los Angeles), Eileen Luders (0000-0001-8273-7177, University of Auckland)
Year2022
Volume13
Pages1019546-1019546
Publication date2022-12-02
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Psychiatry (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1664-0640 • E-ISSN: 1664-0640
PublisherFrontiers Media (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1019546
PMID36532197
OpenAlexW4311106188
LanguageEN
References cited49

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a debilitating disorder with apparent roots in abnormal brain development. Here, we quantified the level of individual brain maturation in children with ADHD using structural neuroimaging and a recently developed machine learning algorithm. More specifically, we compared the BrainAGE index between three groups matched for chronological age (mean ± SD: 11.86 ± 3.25 years): 89 children diagnosed with ADHD, 34 asymptomatic siblings of those children with ADHD, and 21 unrelated healthy control children. Brains of children with ADHD were estimated significantly younger (-0.85 years) than brains of healthy controls (Cohen's d = -0.33; p = 0.028, one-tailed), while there were no significant differences between unaffected siblings and healthy controls. In addition, more severe ADHD symptoms were significantly associated with younger appearing brains. Altogether, these results are in line with the proposed delay of individual brain maturation in children with ADHD. However, given the relatively small sample size ( N = 144), the findings should be considered preliminary and need to be confirmed in future studies

Asymptomatic · Brain development · Neuroimaging · Psychiatry · Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder · Autism Spectrum Disorder Research · Bipolar Disorder and Treatment · Clinical Psychology · Medicine · Neuroscience · Psychology · Internal Medicine · Pediatrics

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