Summary of the most recent MRS studies on ADHDa
| Study | Subjects | Method | Region | Findings | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of ADHD (age, yr) | No. of Controls (age, yr) | ||||
| Children | |||||
| Perlov et al, 200930 | – | – | Meta-analysis | Left STR, | ↑Cho |
| Right frontal lobe | ↑Cho | ||||
| Hammerness et al, 201231 | 12 | 12 | PRESS at 4T, TR/TE = 2000/30 ms | ACC | ↑Glu/mIns; Gln/mIns; Glx/mIns (trend) |
| Arcos-Burgos et al, 201232 | 14 (8–54) | 20 (8–54) | 2D and 3D CSI at 1.5T, TR/TE = 1500/30 ms | Right PCC | ↑Glx/tCr |
| STR; splenium; medial and lateral Thal; vermis (cerebellum) | Interaction of mIns/tCr, NAA/tCr, Glx/tCr with age and ADHD status | ||||
| Tafazoli et al, 201334 | 13 (12.3) | 13 (12.2) | CSI at 1.5T, TR/TE = 1500/30 ms | Right DLPFC | ↓NAA; tCr; Cho; mIns |
| Left DLPFC | – | ||||
| Soliva et al, 201035 | 17 (10.4) | 17 (10.8) | PRESS at 1.5T, TR/TE = 2000/30 ms | Right frontal cortex | ↓tCr |
| Left cerebellum | ↓NAA; mIns; tCr | ||||
| Carrey et al, 200738 | 13 (6–11) | 10 (6–11) | PRESS at 1.5T, TR/TE = 2000/30 ms | Left striatum | ↑Glu; Gln; Glx; tCr |
| Right PFC; left occipital lobe | – | ||||
| Yang et al, 201039 | 37 (13.9) | 22 (14.8) | PRESS at 1.5T, TR/TE = 1600/35 ms | Right PFC | ↓tCr |
| Left PFC | – | ||||
| Stanley et al, 200842 | 31 (8.1) | 36 (8.1) | Multivoxel 31P-MRS at 1.5T | Bilateral basal ganglia | ↓Membrane phospholipid precursor, |
| Inferior parietal region | ↑membrane phospholipid precursor | ||||
| Edden et al, 201241 | 13 (10.2) | 19 (10.6) | MEGA-PRESS at 3T, TR/TE = 1800/68 ms | Primary motor cortex | ↓GABA |
| Adults | |||||
| Perlov et al, 200930 | – | – | Meta-analysis | Bilateral ACC | ↑Cho |
| Perlov et al, 200745 | 28 (32.4) | 28 (30.5) | CSI at 1.5T, TR/TE = 1500/30 ms | Right ACC | ↓Glx/tCr |
| Colla et al, 200844 | 15 (36.1) | 10 (33.2) | 2D CSI at 1.5T, TR/TE = 1500/135 ms | Bilateral ACC | ↑Cho/tCr |
| Dramsdahl et al, 201146 | 29 (32.9) | 38 (29.8) | PRESS at 3T, TR/TE = 1500/35 ms | Left midfrontal region | ↓Glx/tCr |
| Kronenberg et al, 200847 | 7 MPH (32.6) | 7 no MPH (32.6) | 2D CSI at 1.5T, TR/TE = 1500/135 ms | Left midfrontal region | ↑NAA; ↓Cho after MPH |
| Perlov et al, 201048 | 30 (32.1) | 30 (29.9) | CSI at 1.5T, TR/TE = 1500/30 ms | Left cerebellum | ↑Glx/tCr |
| Right cerebellum; vermis | – | ||||
Note:—STR indicates striatum; PCC, posterior cingulate cortex; MPH, methylphenidate; Thal, thalamus; Gln, glutamine; Glu, glutamate; CSI, chemical shift imaging; DLPFC, dorsolateral PFC; ↓, decreased level; ↑, increased level.
↵a For each study, we provide the number of subjects involved, age mean or range in years, the MRS technique, and the findings in each region.