Linking anterior cingulate sulcal variability to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder behavior
- 1University of California, Berkeley
Abstract
Background: The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is consistently implicated in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ACC variability, including its most variable structure, the paracingulate sulcus (PCGS), has been known since the late 1800s, and since then, has been linked to cognitive control, impulsivity, and psychiatric conditions comorbid with ADHD, including autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia. Yet, the role of the PCGS in ADHD remains unexamined at the individual level. Methods: We characterized PCGS incidence, asymmetry, and morphology in 247 children and adolescents (144 ADHD: 10.9 +/- 2.73 years old, 75% male; 103 neurotypical: 12.2 +/- 3.17 years old, 50% male) from the ADHD-200 dataset. The PCGS was manually identified in FreeSurfer cortical surface reconstructions. Morphometric measures, including sulcal length, depth, and cortical thickness, were extracted and normalized to hemisphere-wide variables. Between-group analyses tested whether PCGS presence, asymmetry, and quantitative morphology differed by diagnosis, while behavioral analyses examined associations with inattention, hyperactivity-impulsivity, and cognitive measures. Age and gender were included as covariates. Results: Analyses revealed that, in both NT and ADHD individuals, there was significant leftward asymmetry in PCGS presence. Between groups, the PCGS was less likely to be present in individuals with ADHD in the left hemisphere. Leftward PCGS absence was also associated with significantly higher ADHD index and hyperactivity-impulsivity scores. Conclusions: These findings advance understanding of how early neurodevelopmental variation in cortical folding may serve as a structural intermediary between genetic liability and the behavioral expression of ADHD.
Related
- Anterior cingulate cortex engram drives Post traumatic stress disorder-like memory impairments in a rodent model of traumatic fear
- Incidence of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Japan.
- An explainable machine learning model based on multidimensional task-state electroencephalography for identifying attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder comorbid developmental dyslexia
- The ADHD advantage: Comorbid attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is associated with earlier diagnosis and better academic outcomes in children with specific language disorder
- Food allergy and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children: evidence and implications for pediatric allergy practice
BibTeX
@misc{hadveck2026linking,
title = {{Linking anterior cingulate sulcal variability to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder behavior}},
author = {R. F. Hadveck and A. Paras and M. Anctil and E. Martinez and C. M. Gallardo and S. A. Maboudian and E. H. Willbrand and K. S. Weiner},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.12.758584},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.12.758584v1},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Linking anterior cingulate sulcal variability to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder behavior
AU - R. F. Hadveck
AU - A. Paras
AU - M. Anctil
AU - E. Martinez
AU - C. M. Gallardo
AU - S. A. Maboudian
AU - E. H. Willbrand
AU - K. S. Weiner
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/12
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.12.758584
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.12.758584v1
AB - Background: The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is consistently implicated in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ACC variability, including its most variable structure, the paracingulate sulcus (PCGS), has been known since the late 1800s, and since then, has been linked to cognitive control, impulsivity, and psychiatric conditions comorbid with ADHD, including autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia. Yet, the role of the PCGS in ADHD remains unexamined at the individual level. Methods: We characterized PCGS incidence, asymmetry, and morphology in 247 children and adolescents (144 ADHD: 10.9 +/- 2.73 years old, 75% male; 103 neurotypical: 12.2 +/- 3.17 years old, 50% male) from the ADHD-200 dataset. The PCGS was manually identified in FreeSurfer cortical surface reconstructions. Morphometric measures, including sulcal length, depth, and cortical thickness, were extracted and normalized to hemisphere-wide variables. Between-group analyses tested whether PCGS presence, asymmetry, and quantitative morphology differed by diagnosis, while behavioral analyses examined associations with inattention, hyperactivity-impulsivity, and cognitive measures. Age and gender were included as covariates. Results: Analyses revealed that, in both NT and ADHD individuals, there was significant leftward asymmetry in PCGS presence. Between groups, the PCGS was less likely to be present in individuals with ADHD in the left hemisphere. Leftward PCGS absence was also associated with significantly higher ADHD index and hyperactivity-impulsivity scores. Conclusions: These findings advance understanding of how early neurodevelopmental variation in cortical folding may serve as a structural intermediary between genetic liability and the behavioral expression of ADHD.
ER -