Functional MRI
A Break Through in the Diagnosis of ADD and ADHD

PHYSICS BASICS
MRI BASICS
fMRI BASICS
 fMRI & ADD/ADHD
REFERENCES

Introduction

    Recent breakthroughs in MRI technology provide new possibilities for the diagnosis of ADD and ADHD.  Until now these diseases have been diagnosed, almost exclusively, through differential psychological diagnosis with the aid of screening tests.  These screenings include questionnaires which are completed by the patient, a psychologist, family members, co-workers, teachers, and through interviews with each or any of these constituents conducted by the psychologist.  This type of diagnostic technique while well documented and widely accepted in the psychological community lacks a degree of technical specificity and can lead to skepticism on the part of the public.  Thus whenever possible, it is preferable to have a more definitive test for the diagnosis of any disease. 
        In recent years, attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are two diseases which have come under increasing scrutiny as the prevalence of their diagnosis has increased significantly.  Some would argue that the vagueness of the symptoms coupled with the accommodations to be gained from a diagnosis have led to a significant amount of fraud.  These concerns have been of particular significance to schools which are obligated under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to offer accommodations to students with ADD and ADHD.  These accommodations might include extra time on tests, access to a computer, modified versions of tests, etc.  As a result, much research has been undertaken to find a more definitive diagnostic technique for ADD and ADHD.  Functional MRI provides one such technique.  These pages lead the reader from the basics of MRI through the cutting edge research on the use of functional MRI as a method of diagnosing ADD and ADHD.