OBJECTIVES: Because the caudate nucleus receives inputs from the dorsolateral prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortices, it is the area of the interest with ADHD patients in many researches. To identify the lack of normal asymmetry in the frontal lobe and caudate nucleus of the subjects with ADHD, one slice of brain MR images for each subjects were selected, and planimetric method was applied and analyzed. METHODS: The brain MR images of 14 ADHD boys who met the DSM-III-R diagnostic criteria and 16 headache control group were collected. Single best view far the head of the caudate nucleus, one axial slice was selected for analysis. MR images were redigitized with flatbed scanner and data were analyzed with Brainimage Pascal 2.3.3.1 software. Pixel counting and area measurements were done. Interrater reliabilities were 0.89 or greater. RESULTS: In both ADHD and control groups, right caudate area was slightly greater than left side, and this difference were more significant in control group. The results showed that the normal asymmetry of frontal lobe and the caudate nucleus was not observed for the ADHD group. CONCLUSION: The normal asymmetry of the frontal lobe and the caudate nucleus was not seen in boys with ADHD
Brain ; Caudate Nucleus* ; Frontal Lobe* ; Head ; Headache ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging

OBJECTIVES: Neurobiological models for obsessive-compulsive disorder(OCD) have consistently implicated prefrontal-striatal circuits in the pathophysiology of this disorder. But, prior studies have inconsistently found alteration in caudate and frontal lobe volumes in patients with OCD. This study was undertaken in the hope that semi-automated linear transformation methods would elucidate the morphometric differences of various parts of brain between OCD and normal control group. METHODS: Thirteen patients meeting the DSM-IV criteria for OCD, and 9 psychiatrically normal comparison subjects participated in the study. 3-D brain MRIs using Spoiled gradient-recalled (SPGR) sequence were acquired for each subjects. After spatially normalized according to Talairach and Tournoux's coordinates, the gray and white matters were segmented by semiautomated methods using fuzzy algorithm. Each lobal volumes was measured according to Talairach and Tournoux's coordinates, and the region of interests of caudate nuclei was manually traced. The frontal lobe was divided into 3 subregions; dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, orbital frontal cortex, mesial frontal cortex accoring to the coordinates and Broadman's cytoarchitectonics. RESULTS: Only the volume of left and right frontal gray matter showed a significant difference between OCD and normal subjects. In OCD, the frontal gray matter volume was increased in tendency. There's no difference in laterality and no coorelation with clinical severities. CONCLUSION: Findings of increased frontal gray matter volumes in patients implicate a structural abnormality of these brain regions in the pathophysiology of OCD. The increased frontal gray matter volumes reflect a epiphenomena due to increased cerebral blood flows and metabolic rates before the structural changes may occur.
Brain* ; Caudate Nucleus ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Frontal Lobe ; Hope ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder* ; Orbit ; Prefrontal Cortex