Current estimates place the prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the US at 3-5%. The usual age of first diagnosis is between 6-7 years of age when students are first entering school;however, many parents will argue that they observed signs/symptoms of ADHD much earlier. Intriguingly, of all 3-4 year old children diagnosed with ADHD (using traditional parent/teacher interview methods), only about 50% continue to meet diagnostic criteria at age 7. Previous attempts at achieving better diagnostic stability before the age of seven have expanded the number and kinds of behavior that are measured. Although these attempts have slightly improved predictability, no new gold standard for this age range has been achieved. The primary goal of this K01 research plan is to examine the development of the neural systems that mark the transition from signs and symptoms of ADHD to stable ADHD diagnosis. By using neuroimaging to better infer the underlying biology, better prediction of which children who exhibit elevated inattention and hyperactivity at age 3 will continue to exhibit these behaviors at age 7 and beyond may be achieved. Children who continue to meet diagnostic criteria for ADHD after the age of 7 are very likely to continue to meet diagnostic criteria across childhood, and in 40-70% of cases into adulthood. Even if they do not meet criteria for the disorder in adulthood they will, based on their childhood diagnosis, have increased risk for academic failure, social problems, substance use disorder, car accidents, and incarceration. Neuroimaging studies have associated deficits of cognitive control with differential activation of the prefrontal cortex in children and adolescents with and without ADHD ages 8 through adulthood. Less is known, however, about the neural basis of the development of cognitive control in younger children ages 3-7 and how this contributes to the development of ADHD. This is a major gap in knowledge, considering how crucial this time period may be to the continued expression of ADHD symptomology. Researchers have found it challenging to investigate the neuro-developmental roots of executive function because of limitations in our ability to image the brain in children this young. However, techniques allowing EEG data collection in 3-4 year olds and fMRI data collection in 5-7 year olds have recently been perfected and are proposed here.

Public Health Relevance

The usual age of first diagnosis for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is between 6-7 years of age when students are first entering school. However, parents and children can experience the negative effects of high ADHD symptomology long before they enter school, increasing the child's risk of social isolation, learning problems, and parental abuse. However current diagnostic techniques for children younger than 7 are inadequate;of all preschool children diagnosed with ADHD (using traditional methods), only about 50% continue to meet diagnostic criteria at age 7. At the moment, some physicians prescribe stimulant medications to children younger than 7 regardless of the diagnostic complications, other physicians do not. The current study would have the potential to reduce conflict around this issue by providing better diagnostic methods earlier.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Scientist Development Award - Research & Training (K01)
Project #
5K01MH092555-04
Application #
8471200
Study Section
Child Psychopathology and Developmental Disabilities Study Section (CPDD)
Program Officer
Sarampote, Christopher S
Project Start
2010-09-24
Project End
2015-05-31
Budget Start
2013-06-01
Budget End
2014-05-31
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2013
Total Cost
$181,814
Indirect Cost
$13,468
Name
Children's Hospital Boston
Department
Type
DUNS #
076593722
City
Boston
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
02115
Sheridan, Margaret A; McLaughlin, Katie A; Winter, Warren et al. (2018) Early deprivation disruption of associative learning is a developmental pathway to depression and social problems. Nat Commun 9:2216
Sheridan, Margaret A; Peverill, Matthew; Finn, Amy S et al. (2017) Dimensions of childhood adversity have distinct associations with neural systems underlying executive functioning. Dev Psychopathol 29:1777-1794
Busso, Daniel S; McLaughlin, Katie A; Sheridan, Margaret A (2017) Dimensions of Adversity, Physiological Reactivity, and Externalizing Psychopathology in Adolescence: Deprivation and Threat. Psychosom Med 79:162-171
Busso, Daniel S; McLaughlin, Katie A; Brueck, Stephanie et al. (2017) Child Abuse, Neural Structure, and Adolescent Psychopathology: A Longitudinal Study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 56:321-328.e1
Christensen, Kara A; Aldao, Amelia; Sheridan, Margaret A et al. (2017) Habitual reappraisal in context: peer victimisation moderates its association with physiological reactivity to social stress. Cogn Emot 31:384-394
Dennison, Meg J; Sheridan, Margaret A; Busso, Daniel S et al. (2016) Neurobehavioral markers of resilience to depression amongst adolescents exposed to child abuse. J Abnorm Psychol 125:1201-1212
McLaughlin, Katie A; Sheridan, Margaret A; Gold, Andrea L et al. (2016) Maltreatment Exposure, Brain Structure, and Fear Conditioning in Children and Adolescents. Neuropsychopharmacology 41:1956-64
Gold, Andrea L; Sheridan, Margaret A; Peverill, Matthew et al. (2016) Childhood abuse and reduced cortical thickness in brain regions involved in emotional processing. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 57:1154-64
Peverill, Matthew; McLaughlin, Katie A; Finn, Amy S et al. (2016) Working memory filtering continues to develop into late adolescence. Dev Cogn Neurosci 18:78-88
McLaughlin, Katie A; Sheridan, Margaret A; Tibu, Florin et al. (2015) Causal effects of the early caregiving environment on development of stress response systems in children. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 112:5637-42

Showing the most recent 10 out of 34 publications