Autism and ADHD have distinct brain connectivity signatures, discover the study

Autism spectrum disorder (TSA) and attention / hyperactivity deficit disorder (ADHD) are among the best known neurodevelopmental conditions, estimated at around 1 to 3% and 5 to 7% of the world’s population, respectively. While people diagnosed with TSA may experience social communication difficulties, repetitive behavior and increased sensitivity to sensory stimuli (for example, lights, sounds, etc.), people diagnosed with ADHD are often subject to hyperactivity, impulse and inattention, which makes them more difficult for them to focus on prolonged periods.

ADHD and autism often co-occupying, statistics saying that 50 to 70% of TSA people also have symptoms of ADHD. While several studies spent on neurosciences have studied these two distinct neurodevelopmental conditions, similarities and differences between their neurobiological foundations remain poorly understood.

Researchers from the National Institutes of Health and King’s College in London statistical analysis Aiming to compare the communication models between different regions of the brain of individuals diagnosed with TSA with those observed in the brain of people with ADHD. Their conclusions, published In Mental health natureSuggest that although the TSA and ADHD can appear together, they are associated with different models of brain connectivity.

“Autism spectrum disorder (autism) and attention deficit /hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Co-Word, although it is not clear if these conditions share common neurobiological foundations or have distinct alterations of brain connectivity to the state of rest, “Luke J. Norman, Gustavo Sude and their colleagues in their article.

“We have carried out a transversal mega-analytical comparison of functional connectivity models linked to autism and ADHD lines in children and adolescents (6 to 19 years old; n = 10,168), with follow-up analyzes in consideration of autism (n = 764 autism; n = 893 neurotypical) and AdHD (n = 2,026 ADHD; 2.409) and ADHD (n = 2.026 ADHD; Neurotypical diagnostics. “

As part of their study, researchers have analyzed large quantities of clinical and cerebral imaging data collected within the framework of previous studies. These data were collected from more than 12,732 children and adolescents diagnosed with one or the two developmental disorders.

Researchers have examined the differences and similarities in various regions of the brain of people with ASD and ADHD, including thalamus (a central relay station for sensory and motors signals) and putamen (known to contribute to movement and learning), as well as various other networks of regions coordinating attention, emotions and self -awareness. Interesting fact, they found that the TSA was associated with lower links between some of these regions and neural networksWhile ADHD was linked to stronger connections between the same regions and networks.

“Autism and diagnosis features were associated with reduced connectivity between thalamus, putamen, the attention of salience / ventral and forepar -state networks, while ADHD features have shown the opposite model,” wrote Norman, Sude and their colleagues.

“Hyperconnectivity between the default mode and the backpacking networks has been observed in autistic groups and ADHDs compared to neurotypical individuals and associated with ADHD lines. Despite frequent co-occurrence, autism and ADHD lines have distinct neuronal signatures, with a small size of effect indicating subtle associations.”

Overall, the results of the large -scale analysis carried out by this research team suggest that although people with ASD can often also have symptoms of ADHD, the two neurodevelopmental conditions have different neural signatures. This key observation could shed light on future studies focused on the cooccec competition of the two neurodevelopmental disorders, while potentially guiding the development of diagnostic tools and therapeutic strategies which explain their different models of underlying functional connectivity.

© 2025 Science X Network