The brains of people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) shows changes in its structure and a lower maturity level than those of the same age who do not suffer this disease. It has shown the largest study done so far in the field of neuroimaging linked to this disorder, with 3,242 participants, who just published the journal http://bit.ly/2mabKUi" The Lancet. The work is the result of the research carried out by the Working Group ENIGMA ADHD, created to foster collaborative research in this field. The Vall d'Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus is the only centre of the country to provide patients, 198 in total, through the ADHD Program of the Psychiatry Service. For this study, it has been carried out a collaboration with researchers from the IMIM Foundation from Hospital del Mar and the UAB in the acquisition and analysis of data.The study has analyzed the brain images obtained by MRI of 1,713 patients with ADHD and 1,529 people without the disorder, aged between 4 and 63 years old. Differences have been sought on 7 structures of the deep brain, the nucleus accumbens, the caudate nucleus, the putamen, the hippocampus, the globus pallidus, the thalamus and the amygdala. Previous studies, with fewer samples, had targeted a smaller volume to three of them, the nucleus accumbens, the caudate nucleus and the amygdala. Now, it has been found that not only these structures differ. They have also been found in the hippocampus and the putamen.One of the highlights that has been observed is that the difference in the extent of certain deep parts of the brain tends to disappear in adult patients. The authors believe that this confirms that ADHD is a brain disorder, as are other psychiatric disorders (depression and bipolar disorder among them), the result of a delay in the maturation of this organ. For this reason, one of the signatories of the study, the Head of the http://bit.ly/1aQo4gu" Psychiatry Service of Vall d'Hebron and researcher at the http://bit.ly/294NJrQ" Research Group of Psychiatry, Mental Health and Addictions of Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Josep Antoni Ramos-Quiroga, stressed that the study is "very important because it allows us to better understand ADHD, a disorder in which there are alterations in brain structure and, in turn, delayed maturation is observed". At the same time, this work shows that "ADHD can occur from childhood to adulthood." Breaking taboos about ADHDThe number of cases studied has strengthened the findings, although still neuroimaging analysis of the criteria for the diagnosis of this disorder is not included. It has been ruled out, indeed, the effect of medication or other diseases in the diagnosis of ADHD, and it opens the door to a better understanding of brain dysfunction associated with the disorder and the origin of symptoms.In this regard, the involvement of the amygdala, cerebral structure linked to emotion regulation and hyperactivity, as well as the nucleus accumbens, which forms part of the reward process, and hippocampus, which plays a role in the regulation of motivation and emotions, is vital in breaking taboos about this disease. As he assured Dr. Ramos-Quiroga, "this type of research, the result of international collaboration, with very large samples, can generate solid evidence and, in turn, reduce the stigma around mental disorders, such as ADHD, which you can still find people who question its existence in an interested way." ADHDThe Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects 5% of the population during childhood, and is held in more than half of patients during adulthood. It is the most commonly diagnosed mental illness in Catalonia among children and adolescents, according to the latest data of the Department of Health. Of diagnosed cases, 25% are girls and 75% boys. The most common symptoms are inattention, disorganization, lack of impulse control, emotional instability and hyperactivity. The persistence of ADHD throughout life is associated with poor academic performance, difficulties in maintaining interpersonal relationships, drug abuse and risk while driving and in sexual relations.