Parietal Attentional System Aberrations During Target Detection in Adolescents With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Event-Related fMRI Evidence

• DOI: 10.1176/ajp.2006.163.6.1033
• Publication Date: 2014-12-17T21:35:14Z
• Authors: Leanne Tamm; Vinod Menon; Allan L. Reiss
• Keywords: Parietal lobe; Oddball paradigm; Stimulus (psychology)

Objective: Directed attention, the ability to allocate and direct attention toward a salient stimulus, is impaired in deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This construct often assessed with target detection or oddball tasks, individuals ADHD perform poorly on such tasks. However, date, specific brain structures neural mechanisms underlying dysfunction have not been identified. The authors' goal was investigate correlates of using event-related fMRI. Method: Behavioral activation data were collected while subjects performed visual task. Participants included 14 right-handed male adolescents (combined type) 12 typically developing age- handedness-matched comparison subjects. Results: Individuals made significantly more errors commission than Further, relative subjects, showed less bilateral parietal lobes (including superior gyrus supramarginal angular gyri inferior lobe), right precuneus, thalamus. Conclusions: Adolescents demonstrated significant impairments their attentional resources. These difficulties associated aberrations system, which known play role shifting detecting targets. Thus, system may behavioral phenotype ADHD.