ABSTRACT
The third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) marked a paradigm shift from psychoanalysis toward an empirically based classification of disorders, with the implicit goal that psychiatric disorders would eventually be referenced to specific enumerable brain dysfunctions. Although this goal has not yet been achieved for any psychiatric disorder, recent advances in brain imaging could assist in this process. Anatomic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the principal technology used to examine the pediatric brain, mainly because it does not use ionizing radiation, in contrast to methods like computed axial tomography, positron emission tomography, and single-photon emission computed tomography. Therefore, although those approaches will also inevitably contribute to our understanding of the pathophysiology of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), we will limit ourselves to recent MRI studies of children and adolescents (roughly ages 5-18) diagnosed with this common psychiatric condition.
