Child Psychology and Psychiatry

COGNITIVE AND NEUROBIOLOGICAL
CORRELATES
Routine cognitive testing is not necessary or
diagnostically useful. Children with ADHD can
underperform on IQ tests. They also show deficits
on measures of executive function, response
inhibition, prefrontal cortical function, delay
aversion, and timing deficits. Structural and
functional imaging studies [10] show reduced
cerebral, cerebellar and caudate volume, and
delayed cortical maturation especially in the
prefrontal regions; functional magnetic resonance
imaging studies implicate corticostriatal circuit
involvement. Animal, genetic and pharmaco-
logical studies have implicated involvement of
dopaminergic pathways.