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By studying what parts of the brain are used to control impulses, a professor at Michigan State University in East Lansing is hoping to better understand why children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) respond differently to positive and negative feedback.
Understanding those differences will help researchers and doctors develop better treatment plans, said Margaret Semrud-Clikeman, PhD, a professor in the MSU Department of Psychiatry and director of the MSU Center for Neurodevelopmental Study, which she founded in August 2006.
According to the federal government's National Institutes of Mental Health, between 3 percent and 5 percent of U.S. children have ADHD, or about 2 million children.
"If we can understand what parts of the brain are used to control impulses, we can understand why some children can moderate their behaviors and others can't," she said. "Then we can develop interventions to help children overcome or compensate for these challenges."
The goal of the study is to shed light on brain mechanisms that underlie risky behavior and problems with impulse control that cause so many children and adolescents with ADHD to have problems adapting to their environment.
In the study, MRIs at the MSU Department of Radiology are taken of children who have primarily attentional problems and children who have problems in activity and attention, as well as children developing at a normal pace. Those scans will then be analyzed for differences in brain activity when the child is asked to adjust his or her behavior.
A key component of Dr. Semrud-Clikeman's study is an interactive video game children play during the scanning process that measures their ability to control impulses and moderate their activity.
Also, to help prepare children with ADHD for the MRI experience, Dr. Semrud-Clikeman uses a mock scanner to work with children and get them comfortable for what can be a difficult situation.
"It is difficult for many adults to stay in a MRI machine for 30 to 45 minutes, let alone a child who has ADHD," she said.
The study began in 2008 and is funded by the university. Dr. Semrud-Clikeman's goal is to include about 80 boys and girls ages 9 to 17. She is seeking children who are diagnosed with ADHD, are suspected to have ADHD or who have no difficulties. The children will receive compensation for participating and pictures of their brain scans.
In addition to the ADHD study, Dr. Semrud-Clikeman and colleagues MSU's at Center for Neurodevelopmental Study are researching social perception in children with autism and ADHD, and also studying the brain activity of those gifted in mathematics and spatial reasoning to explore why some people do well in those areas.
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