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Caudate asymmetry is related to attentional impulsivity and an objective measure of ADHD-like attentional problems in healthy adults

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Abstract

Case–control studies comparing ADHD with typically developing individuals suggest that anatomical asymmetry of the caudate nucleus is a marker of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, there is no consensus on whether the asymmetry favors the right or left caudate nucleus in ADHD, or whether the asymmetry is increased or decreased in ADHD. The current study aimed to clarify this relationship by applying a dimensional approach to assessing ADHD symptoms that, instead of relying on clinical classification, utilizes the natural behavioral continuum of traits related to ADHD. Structural T1-weighted MRI was collected from 71 adults between 18 and 35 years and analyzed for caudate asymmetry. ADHD-like attentional symptoms were assessed with an objective measure of attentional problems, the ADHD score from the Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA). Impulsivity, a core feature in ADHD, was measured using the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, a self-report measure that assesses attentional, non-planning, and motor features of impulsivity. We found that larger right relative to left caudate volumes correlated with both higher attentional impulsiveness and worse ADHD scores on the TOVA. Higher attentional impulsiveness also correlated with worse ADHD scores, establishing coherence between the objective measure and the self-report measure of attentional problems. These results suggest that a differential passage of information through frontal–striatal networks may produce instability leading to attentional problems. The findings also demonstrate the utility of a dimensional approach to understanding structural correlates of ADHD symptoms.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by two grants from the National Institute of Drug Abuse to David Zald: R21DA033611 and 5R01DA019670. Gregory Samanez-Larkin was supported by National Institute on Aging Pathway to Independence Award K99AG042596.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, 219 Wilson Hall, 111 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN, 37203, USA

    Linh C. Dang, Jacob S. Young & David H. Zald

  2. Department of Psychology, Yale University, 2 Hillhouse Avenue, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA

    Gregory R. Samanez-Larkin

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 1601 23rd Ave South, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA

    Ronald L. Cowan & David H. Zald

  4. Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1211 Medical Center Drive, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA

    Ronald L. Cowan & Robert M. Kessler

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  1. Linh C. Dang
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  2. Gregory R. Samanez-Larkin
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Correspondence to Linh C. Dang.

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Dang, L.C., Samanez-Larkin, G.R., Young, J.S. et al. Caudate asymmetry is related to attentional impulsivity and an objective measure of ADHD-like attentional problems in healthy adults. Brain Struct Funct 221, 277–286 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-014-0906-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-014-0906-6

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