Evaluation of Deep Gray Matter Iron and Myelin Changes in children with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Application of magnetic susceptibility have been consistently demonstrated in the subcortical gray matter of ADHD children, but some uncertainties remain concerning the underlying neurobiological processes. We applied quantitative susceptibility mapping and synthetic magnetic resonance imaging (SyMRI) to clarify the relative contribution of iron and myelin changes to deep gray matter changes in ADHD. We found that the iron and myelin concentration of these subcortical structures in ADHD were delayed in the developmental trajectory, which suggested that ADHD may be characterized by a delay in subcortical maturation and dysfunction in dopaminergic transmission.