Abstract #4168

Parcellation of nigrostriatal and mesolimbic midbrain components in adults ADHD: Relationship to waiting impulsivity and motivation

Arjun Sethi¹, Valerie Voon², Hugo Critchley¹, Neil A Harrison¹, and Mara Cercignani¹

¹Brighton & Sussex Medical School, Brighton, United Kingdom, ²Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom

The substantia nigra/ventral tegmental area (SN/VTA) is central to the modulation of dopaminergic networks implicated in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). However, little is known of its specific contribution to the disorder. Whilst motivational abnormalities and impulsivity are known to be related to the structure, it is not clear whether SN/VTA subcomponents differentially contribute to these deficits. Using diffusion MRI tractography parcellation of the SN/VTA, we show that increased waiting impulsivity in ADHD is related to the microstructure of the mesolimbic SN/VTA, whilst trait motivation is related to the nigrostriatal component. Unlike previous reports in unmedicated ADHD, we detect no motivational abnormalities in this medicated cohort. However, we report that patients who have been medicated longer show alterations in microstructure consonant with increased motivation.

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