Corpus callosum morphology in children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a meta-analytic review

Several studies have examined corpus callosum (CC) morphology in children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A meta-analysis of atypical brain morphology in children and adolescents with ADHD by Valera, Faraone, Murray, and Seidman (2006) reported a reduction in the splenium of the CC in this group compared with healthy controls. This meta-analysis undertook a more detailed examination of callosal morphology by also considering comorbid conditions and gender differences. The data from 13 studies were analyzed. Consistent with Valera et al. (2006), the splenium was smaller in children and adolescents with ADHD than in healthy controls. However, this result appears to be the result of a smaller splenium in females with ADHD. In addition, boys exhibited a smaller rostral body. There were no significant differences in CC measurements of studies that included ADHD samples with comorbid conditions. However, comorbidities were not consistently reported, making it difficult to accurately evaluate the impact of comorbidity on CC size. Additional research is needed to investigate whether gender differences reflect different ADHD subtypes. In addition, it is not known if these CC differences persist into adulthood.