by
Lauren Dubinsky, Senior Reporter | April 30, 2014
Gong wrote that the functional connectivity abnormalities in the large-scale neural system of ADHD may provide potential biomarkers to identify ADHD patients. Also, after the patients take medication, the rfMRI may evaluate the treatment effects on ADHD and measure whether the altered functional connectivity returns to normal.
The results look promising, but Gong points out that larger studies are need to validate the results. Going forward, the researchers plan to study the connectivity changes over time in ADHD patients, and also investigate the possible differences of functional connectivity between the clinical subtypes of ADHD such as inattentiveness and hyperactivity.
They plan to study connectivity changes by arranging before and after MRI examinations for those children who undergo medical treatment in order to detect the pharmacological effects on the neural system of ADHD. For the patients that don't receive medical treatment, the researchers will conduct three MRI exams at the baseline and then after two and four weeks in order to measure the neural changes in the natural course of the disease for comparison.
The study is part of a larger project that Gong's group at Huaxi Research Center of the West China Hospital is conducting to explore MRI's diagnostic and prognostic potential in other psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia, mood disorders, obsessive compulsive disorders, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.
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