J Korean Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry.  2012 Jun;23(2):57-62.

The Abnormality of Posterior Default Mode Network in Medication-Naive Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Children : Resting State fMRI Study

• Choi J
• Go HJ
• Woo YS
• Song SH
• Yang PS
• Jeong B

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
Characteristic symptoms, including hyperactivity and easy distractibility, in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) suggest that their brain status, even at rest, might differ from that of healthy children. This study was conducted in order to determine whether resting state brain activity is compromised in medication-naive children with ADHD.
METHODS
Twenty medication-naive children with ADHD (mean age 10.3+/-2.5) and 28 age- and gender-matched healthy volunteers (mean age 10.3+/-2.0) underwent measurements for resting state brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Among resting state related-independent components (RSICs) extracted from fMRI data using independent component analysis, a significant difference in RSICs was observed between groups, using a mixed Gaussian/gamma model.
RESULTS
Except for IQ, which was higher in the healthy control group, no demographic difference was observed between the two groups (p<.001). Significantly less activation of one RSIC, which includes the bilateral precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex, occipito-temporal junction, and anterior cingulate cortex, was observed in the ADHD group, compared with the control group (p<.05).
CONCLUSION
An abnormal RSIC, posterior default mode network (DMN), was observed in the medication-naive ADHD group. Results of our study suggest that abnormality of posterior DMN is one of the main pathophysiologies of ADHD.

Keyword

ADHD; Default Mode Network; Functional MRI

MeSH Terms

Brain
Child
Gyrus Cinguli
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging