Investigating fronto-striatal connectivity and the influence of genetic variation in DRD2 and PER2 in adult ADHD patients and healthy subjects

Abstract

Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a psychiatric disorder characterized by inattentiveness and/or hyperactive and impulsive symptoms. Previous studies have reported alterations in fronto-striatal functioning in children and adults with ADHD and suggested disturbances in the dopamine system as well as disturbances in circadian rhythm. The present study took a seed-to-seed approach, and a seed-to-whole-brain approach to compare fronto-striatal connectivity at rest between adult ADHD patients and healthy people. There was no significant connectivity between the right nucleus accumbens and the right IFG, but a more medial resting-state network involving right and left basal ganglia and the orbitofrontal cortex was found. However, no significant differences in this network between adult ADHD patients and healthy people emerged.