An interdisciplinary approach to ADHD.

描述（由申请人提供）：申请人提出了一项旨在描述注意缺陷多动障碍（ADHD）中执行过程、基因和额纹状体大脑结构之间关系的研究。ADHD与执行过程中的缺陷有关，包括反应抑制（Rl）和工作记忆（WM）的缺陷。有证据表明，这些缺陷可能是遗传的，对基因控制很敏感。此外，研究已经开始表征特定的神经基质介导这些执行过程。鉴于Rl和WM通过遗传影响和神经通路介导的有希望的证据，这些执行过程可能是确定ADHD遗传和神经病因的有用中间表型。拟议的研究包括收集Rl和WM领域的神经心理学数据、遗传物质和解剖脑图像（作为正在进行的功能性磁共振成像研究的一部分），这些数据来自患有ADHD的成年人和对照组参与者。任务表现、基因型、推测涉及的脑区体积和ADHD症状之间的特定关联将被调查。研究结果将描述遗传变异和神经结构对ADHD执行过程的贡献，并为未来的ADHD遗传研究确定潜在有用的遗传和神经中间表型。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The applicant proposes a study aimed at delineating associations between executive processes, genes, and frontalstriatal brain structure in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ADHD is associated with well- documented weaknesses in executive processing, including deficits in response inhibition (Rl) and working memory (WM). Evidence suggests that these deficits may be heritable and sensitive to genetic control. In addition, research has begun to characterize the specific neural substrates that mediate these executive processes. Given promising evidence for mediation of Rl and WM through genetic influences and neural pathways, these executive processes may be useful intermediate phenotypes for determining genetic and neural etiologies of ADHD. The proposed study involves collecting neuropsychological data in the domains of Rl and WM, genetic material, and anatomical brain images (as part of an ongoing functional magnetic resonance imaging study) from adults with ADHD and control participants. Specific associations between task performance, genotypes, volumes of putatively involved brain regions, and ADHD symptoms will be investigated. Findings will characterize the contributions of genetic variations and neural structures on executive processing in ADHD, as well as identify potentially useful genetic and neural intermediate phenotypes for future genetic studies of ADHD.