fMRI system for detecting symptoms associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

摘要

A system based on the use of fMRI techniques for use in detecting neurological abnormalities indicative of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), in determining the severity of ADHD and in gauging the efficacy of medications used in treating ADHD. The system includes the steps of activating a selected region of the brain which is known to be affected by ADHD using a working memory and sustained attention task such as an N-Back task and concurrently acquiring fMRI image data responsive to the task. The patient's task-active fMRI data is then compared to reference fMRI data derived from a database of task-active fMRI data acquired from healthy individuals and determining whether the patient has symptoms related to ADHD. The extent of the patient's ADHD related symptoms and the severity of the disorder may also be assessed. Additionally, patients who are affected by ADHD may be administered medications intended to address their symptoms and based on comparing the severity of the patient's symptoms on and off therapy, the efficiency of the medication may be gauged and a measure may be provided of how well individual patients respond to a given medication.