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Infant brain structures, executive function, and attention deficit/hyperactivity problems at preschool age. A prospective study
Author(s) -
Ghassabian Akhgar,
Herba Catherine M.,
Roza Sabine J.,
Govaert Paul,
Schenk Jacqueline J.,
Jaddoe Vincent W.,
Hofman Albert,
White Tonya,
Verhulst Frank C.,
Tiemeier Henning
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of child psychology and psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.652
H-Index - 211
eISSN - 1469-7610
pISSN - 0021-9630
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2012.02590.x
Subject(s) - psychology , attention deficit hyperactivity disorder , corpus callosum , neuroimaging , executive functions , population , neuropsychology , developmental psychology , cognition , clinical psychology , psychiatry , neuroscience , medicine , environmental health
Background: Neuroimaging findings have provided evidence for a relation between variations in brain structures and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). However, longitudinal neuroimaging studies are typically confined to children who have already been diagnosed with ADHD. In a population‐based study, we aimed to characterize the prospective association between brain structures measured during infancy and executive function and attention deficit/hyperactivity problems assessed at preschool age. Methods: In the Generation R Study, the corpus callosum length, the gangliothalamic ovoid diameter (encompassing the basal ganglia and thalamus), and the ventricular volume were measured in 784 6‐week‐old children using cranial postnatal ultrasounds. Parents rated executive functioning at 4 years using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function‐Preschool Version in five dimensions: inhibition, shifting, emotional control, working memory, and planning/organizing. Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Problems were assessed at ages 3 and 5 years using the Child Behavior Checklist. Results: A smaller corpus callosum length during infancy was associated with greater deficits in executive functioning at 4 years. This was accounted for by higher problem scores on inhibition and emotional control. The corpus callosum length during infancy did not predict Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Problem at 3 and 5 years, when controlling for the confounders. We did not find any relation between gangliothalamic ovoid diameter and executive function or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Problem. Conclusions: Variations in brain structures detectible in infants predicted subtle impairments in inhibition and emotional control. However, in this population‐based study, we could not demonstrate that early structural brain variations precede symptoms of ADHD.