Multimodal Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study on the Neural Mechanisms of Remission in Children With ADHD

Multimodal Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study on the Neural Mechanisms of Remission in Children With ADHD Treated With Methylphenidate or Atomoxetine

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder(ADHD) is highly prevalent among children and adolescents and often associated with poor long-term outcomes in adulthood. it is thus a serious public health problem. Methylphenidate(MPH) and Atomoxetine(ATX) are most frequently used for treating ADHD in many countries but the individual treatment response varies. Some patients present good response to either MPH or ATX with minimal or no symptoms left and optimal functioning(remission) after treatment, while others are poor responders to one of the two or even both. The underlying mechanism for the heterogenous responsiveness remains unknown. Thus we proposed to use multimodule magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) technology to explore the neural mechanisms of remission in children with ADHD treated with MPH or ATX.

the main aim of the current study is to explore the mechanism of remission in children with ADHD treated by MPH or ATX. Baseline information including demographic information, clinical features including ADHD symptoms, cognitive assessments such as executive function, MRI scans including resting state functional MRI, structural MRI, and DTI would be acquired in each participant. after 8-12 weeks of treating with MPH or ATX, patients would be classified into subgroups of remitted and unremitted groups. all baseline tests would be acquired again at the end of the study. comparisons would be done to explore the remission mechanism induced by MPH or ATX

Inclusion Criteria:

- clinical diagnosis of ADHD, based on K-SADS-PL medication naive aged 6-16

Exclusion Criteria:

- history of severe head injury (with coma) other severe physical problem or disease in nervous system intelligence quotient (IQ) < 80