Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
http://hdl.handle.net/11375/20627
Full metadata record
DC Field | Value | Language |
---|---|---|
dc.contributor.advisor | Hall, Geoffrey | - |
dc.contributor.author | Ghajar, Kathy | - |
dc.date.accessioned | 2016-10-05T19:16:58Z | - |
dc.date.available | 2016-10-05T19:16:58Z | - |
dc.date.issued | 2016 | - |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11375/20627 | - |
dc.description.abstract | The dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) plays an important role in attention and cognitive control (Bush et al., 2000; Margulies et al., 2007; Shackman et al., 2011). Individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders often struggle with inattention, hyperactivity, and repetitive behaviours, which is indicative of deficits in the ACC (Baribeau et al., 2015; Bush et al., 1999; Fitzgerald et al., 2005). This study investigated metabolite abnormalities in the ACC of two groups of children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Participants were children with obsessive-compulsive disorder (i.e., OCD; n = 24) and children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; n = 29). Participants completed cognitive and clinical testing and proton magnetic resonance imaging (1H-MRS) of the ACC. Children with ADHD had higher concentrations of N- acetyl aspartate than those with OCD. In the OCD group, creatine concentrations were correlated with scores on the Children’s Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (CY- BOCS). Across diagnostic groups, concentrations of N-acetyl aspartate predicted scores on the anxious/depressed syndrome scale of the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL), and creatine, myo-inositol, and glutamate concentrations predicted scores on the affective problems syndrome scale of the CBCL. This study was the first to compare two groups of children with neurodevelopmental disorders using 1H-MRS, and the first to look the relationship between metabolites and symptom dimensions (i.e., CBCL syndrome scales) rather than the relationship between metabolites and symptom severity alone. Our findings support an interdisciplinary approach to studying neurodevelopmental disorders, and invite future investigations combining 1H-MRS with anatomical and functional imaging techniques. | en_US |
dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
dc.title | METABOLITE CONCENTRATIONS IN THE ANTERIOR CINGULATE CORTEX: A STUDY OF CHILDREN WITH ATTENTION-DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER AND OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER | en_US |
dc.type | Thesis | en_US |
dc.contributor.department | Psychology | en_US |
dc.description.degreetype | Thesis | en_US |
dc.description.degree | Master of Science (MSc) | en_US |
dc.description.layabstract | The current study investigated concentrations of metabolites in the brains of children with neurodevelopmental disorders. We focused on a structure called the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), which is largely responsible for attention and cognitive control, processes that are impaired in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders. Participants with OCD (n = 24) and ADHD (n = 29) completed clinical testing and neuroimaging. We found differences in N-acetyl aspartate, a metabolite related to the number of neuronal connections in a given region, between the groups. Across groups, there were associations between metabolite concentrations and symptom dimensions, including anxiety/depression and affective problems. Overall, this study suggests that an interdisciplinary approach to studying children with neurodevelopmental disorders could reveal information about the underlying deficits common in all neurodevelopmental disorders. | en_US |
Appears in Collections: | Open Access Dissertations and Theses |
Files in This Item:
File | Description | Size | Format | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ghajar_Katayoun_2016September_MSc.pdf | 2.16 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
Items in MacSphere are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.