Corpus callosum morphology in children with Tourette syndrome and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the morphology of the corpus callosum (CC) in Tourette syndrome (TS) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to determine whether these conditions affect distinct regional differences. Seventy-seven children and adolescents, aged 6 to 16 years, comprised the four research groups--16 patients with TS, 21 patients with TS plus ADHD, 13 patients with ADHD, and 27 unaffected control subjects. A semiautomated, computer-assisted procedure was used to measure the total area, five subregions, centerline length, perimeter, and bending angle of the CC. MRI data were analyzed using several statistical methods, primarily two-tailed analysis of variance to test the effects of TS and ADHD status, while controlling for the influence of age, gender, and total intracranial area (an estimate of brain size). TS was associated with significant increases in the area of four of five subdivisions, the total area, and the perimeter of the CC. ADHD was associated with a significant decrease in the area of the rostral body. There were no interactions between TS and ADHD factors. These findings suggest that the area of the CC is larger in children with TS, and that this difference is independent of age, handedness, intracranial area, and the diagnosis of ADHD. Our findings support hypotheses that the neurobiologic mechanisms in TS and ADHD involve frontal/subcortical circuits.

Reduced Anterior Corpus Callosum White Matter Integrity is Related to Increased Impulsivity and Reduced Discriminability in Cocaine-Dependent Subjects: Diffusion Tensor Imaging

“…A prior MRI study in children with ADHD found reductions in anterior corpus callosum area, which was significantly correlated with impulsivity-hyperactivity subscales of both the parent and teacher Conner's Questionnaire (Giedd et al, 1994). Other studies have found reductions in anterior corpus callosum volume in children with ADHD (Hynd et al, 1991), (Baumgardner et al, 1996). However, another larger MRI study did not find smaller corpus callosum volumes in ADHD children (Castellanos et al, 1996), possibly because this study did not control for position of the brain (Giedd et al, 2001).…”

Evidence of Rapid Ongoing Brain Development Beyond 2 Years of Age Detected by Fiber Tracking

“…Any disturbance or anomalies in the CC can result in certain neurologic disorders. [30][31][32][33] Nevertheless, in the present work, the population between 2 and 5 years of age included only 7 children, a quite small sample size. A study with a larger number of subjects would be necessary to extract more reliable conclusions.…”

Left-Right Differences on Timed Motor Examination in Children

“…Indeed, studies of clinical groups highlight the parallel developmental differences in these related systems. For example, compared to age-related controls, children with ADHD demonstrate smaller midsagittal anterior corpus callosum areas (Baumgardner et al, 1996), as well as reduced premotor, prefrontal (Mostofsky, Cooper, Kates, Denckla, & Kaufmann, 2002), and cerebellar volumes (Mostofsky, Reiss, Lockhart, & Denckla, 1998). At the same time, children with ADHD also show reduced motor speeds (Denckla, 1973;Mahone, Prahme, Koth, Morris, & Denckla, 2004;Schuerholz, Cutting, Mazzocco, Singer, & Denckla, 1997), increased motor overflow (Mostofsky, Newschaffer, & Denckla, 2003), and decreased motor inhibition (Mahone et al, 2006;Wodka et al, in press).…”