Evaluation of Cerebellar Size in Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Abstract

Evidence from animal and human research suggests that the cerebellum may play a role in cognition. This includes domains of executive function that are normally attributed to the prefrontal cortex and are typically deficient in individuals with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). To investigate cerebellar structure in ADHD, magnetic resonance imaging morphometry was used to measure the area of the cerebellar vermis in 12 males with ADHD and 23 male controls matched for age and Wechsler Full-Scale IQ. Analyses were conducted to evaluate group differences, as well as differences between matched pairs of subjects with ADHD and those without ADHD. All measurements were corrected for overall brain size. Both analyses revealed that the size of the posterior vermis was significantly decreased in males with ADHD (P < .05 in both analyses), and that within the posterior vermis, the inferior posterior lobe (lobules VIII-X) was involved in this reduction (P < .05 for group analysis, P < .005 for matched pair analysis), while the superior posterior lobe (lobules VI/VII) was not involved in the reduction. The finding of abnormal inferior posterior vermal size suggests that dysfunction within this region of the cerebellum may underlie clinical deficits seen in individuals with ADHD.

Early developmental alterations in GABAergic protein expression in fragile X knockout mice

“…Cerebellar hypoplasia has been previously identified in FXS patients (Mostofsky et al, 1998) and in other neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and Downs' Syndrome (Shevell and Majnemer, 1996;Aylward et al, 1997;Baxter et al, 2000;Necchi et al, 2008). Additionally, DeLorey et al (1998) observed significant hypoplasia of the cerebellar vermal lobules in GABA A receptor β3 knockout mice.…”

“…Decreases in the cerebellar posterior vermis size has been found in patients with FXS (Mostofsky et al, 1998). Children with cerebellar hypoplasia present not only with congenital ataxia but also with mild to moderate speech and cognitive developmental problems (Shevell and Majnemer, 1996).…”

“…Additionally, studies have shown defects in cerebellar vermis develop in both FXS patients and GABA A receptor β3 deficient mice (DeLorey et al, 1998;Mostofsky et al, 1998). We thus undertook a morphological analysis of the cerebellar lobules of adult wild-type and Fmr1 knockout mice ( Figure 11A).…”

Effects of methylphenidate on resting-state brain activity in normal adults: an fMRI study

“…In structural imaging, the volumes of the whole brain, prefrontal cortex, left caudate nucleus, and cerebellum are all reduced [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] . Functional neuroimaging studies of patients with ADHD show the involvement of multiple neuronal systems in this disorder, including the prefrontal cortex, parietal cortex, striatum and cerebellum [9][10][11][12][13][14][15] .…”

A Positron Emission Tomography Study Of Methylphenidate in Adults with ADHD: Alterations in Resting Blood Flow and Predicting Treatment Response

“…Structural imaging studies in ADHD have repeatedly shown abnormalities in the cerebellum in children with ADHD (Berquin et al, 1998;Mostofsky et al, 1998). A recent fMRI study expanded knowledge of the relation between stimulants and the cerebellum (Anderson et al, 2002).…”