Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder delays development of certain regions of the brain by an average of three years, shows a study of 446 youth with and without the disorder. Researchers used magnetic resonance imaging techniques to scan subjects brains at intervals of approximately three years. They found that half of sites in the cortex reached a peak thickness at an average of 10.5 years in children with ADHD compared to 7.5 years in children without the disorder. Meanwhile the motor cortex matured faster in youth with ADHD.
The findings support the theory that ADHD occurs as the result of delayed cortex maturation and helps explain why many sufferers grow out of the disorder.
Read more: Brain Matures a Few Years Late in ADHD, But Follows Normal Pattern