Is Substantia Nigra Size a Biological Marker for ADHD?

An imaging technique may have predictive utility while offering insights into brain differences in people with ADHD.

Transcranial sonography (TCS) of the substantia nigra (SN) is used as a clinical screen for Parkinson disease (PD) because the SN is enlarged in approximately 90% of PD patients. Because ADHD and PD have similarities in frontostriatal dopaminergic pathways, these researchers studied TCS of the SN in 29 children with diagnosed or suspected ADHD (age range, 6–17) and 27 matched healthy controls.

Parents rated the number and severity of ADHD symptoms. Compared with controls, ADHD children had a significantly larger median SN size, and 48% had SN size above the 90th percentile. SN size correlated with symptom severity but not with age, and the enlargement was seen in separate analyses of each ADHD subtype. To determine the predictive utility of …

Reviewing Author

Barbara Geller, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Barbara Geller, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose