The ADHD Brain Displays an Interesting Anomaly

The brains of people who suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) display an anomaly that is not present in the healthy brain, investigators at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, in New York, say in a new study.

Led by researcher Xiaobo Li, PhD, an assistant professor of radiology at the College, the group was able to discover the difference between the ADHD and healthy brain through the use of an imaging technique called functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI).

“Diagnosing ADHD is very difficult because of its wide variety of behavioral symptoms. Establishing a reliable imaging biomarker of ADHD would be a major contribution to the field,” Li believes.

The team will now verify its results and, if everything is confirmed, will move to have the biomarker recognized officially as a telltale sign of ADHD. This could help treat millions of kids suffering from the condition earlier on than currently possible, PsychCentral reports.