Climie, Emma A.MacMaster, Frank P.Hai, Tasmia Mobashera2018-10-052018-10-052018-09-17http://hdl.handle.net/1880/108767The current study investigated spectroscopic biomarkers in children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and examined neurochemical correlates of Executive Function (EF). Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (1H-MRS; TE = 30ms) was conducted in the right prefrontal cortex (RPFC) and left striatum (LS). Twenty-one children with ADHD and 15 control participants took part. Both groups completed performance-based EF tasks. Results indicated lower concentrations of glutamate (p = .009), choline (p = .016), and N-acetyl aspartate (p = .029) in the RPFC in ADHD participants compared to controls. There were no significant differences in the LS. Positive correlations with glutamate concentration and performance in working memory and verbal fluency tasks in the control group were observed. No significant correlations were found in the ADHD group. Findings indicate neurochemical differences between children with ADHD and healthy controls. Additionally, decoupling effects of glutamate were observed indicating glutamate as a possible spectroscopic biomarker for ADHD and novel treatment target.engUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.ADHDGLUTAMATEEXECUTIVE FUNCTIONSMAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPYbiomarkersEducational Psychologymaster thesis10.11575/PRISM/33119