Hippocampus and Amygdala Morphology in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

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Abstract
The neural basis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is currently unknown. Affecting 3% to 7% of all children and adolescents,1,2 ADHD is defined by distractibility, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.3 Children with ADHD often also struggle with deficits in executive functioning,4 working5 and visuospatial memory,6 temporal processing,7 and difficulty tolerating delayed rewards.8 The hippocampus likely subserves these functions in attention and cognition, disturbances of which are among the defining hallmarks of ADHD.1,5,9-13 Involvement of the amygdala in the pathophysiology of ADHD14,15 likely contributes to the increased risk for affective disorders in children with ADHD and their family members,11,16-18 even in family members who themselves do not have ADHD.19-21 Indeed, the association of affective and ADHD symptoms is sufficiently tight that affective symptoms previously were listed as associated features of ADHD in DSM-III-R.22