PSY-35 Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Prefrontal Cortex, Caudate Nucleus, Functional Neuroimaging
Document Summary
Extensive evidence implicating frontostriatal circuitry in adhd (i. e. the lateral prefrontal cortex, the dorsal anterior cingulated cortex, and the caudate nucleus) Potential signi cance of pervasive reductions in volume throughout the cerebrum and cerebellum. Adhd clients experience delays in cortical maturation, as re ected by attaining peak levelsof cortical thickness at an older age. Sequence of development was the same for those with and without adhd, but it was delayedby up to ve years in adhd clients. Delay in cortical maturation was most evident in the lateral prefrontal cortex, which is the region responsible for working memory and attention. It has been assumed for many years that young people with adhd eventually catch up and they have a delay but not a lasting difference. Many adolescents with adhd go on to have structural brain defects in adulthood and this accounts for some memory de cits that have been detected. These structures may be implicated among those adults with adhd.
