BASAL GANGLIA VOLUMES IN CHILDREN WITH ATTENTION-DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER

Previous research has demonstrated volume reduction of the left globus pallidus in children with the codiagnoses of Tourette syndrome and at tention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), in comparison with chil dren who have Tourette syndrome alone and with normal controls. The pu rpose of this study was to determine whether children with ADHD alone also had volume reduction of the globus pallidus or other basal gangli a structures. Subjects were 10 boys with ADHD, 16 boys with Tourette s yndrome and ADHD, and 11 normal control boys. Groups were matched for age. Boys with ADHD were individually matched for age, handedness, and IQ to 10 of the 16 boys with Tourette syndrome and ADHD, Volumes of c audate, putamen, and globus pallidus were measured and corrected for b rain volume. The boys with ADHD had significantly smaller left globus pallidus volume and total globus pallidus volume (corrected for brain volume) than the normal controls. The Tourette syndrome plus ADHD grou p did not differ from the ADHD group on any of the measures. We conclu de that small globus pallidus volume, particularly on the left side, i s associated with ADHD.