OBJECTIVE:

The authors examined whether patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have altered striatal dopamine transporter levels, which may explain psychostimulant effects in this disorder.

METHOD:

Single photon emission computed tomography and [(123)I]2beta-carbomethoxy-3beta-(4-iodophenyl)tropane ([(123)I]beta-CIT) were used to assess dopamine transporter availability in nine adult patients with ADHD (eight of whom were stimulant naive) and nine age- and gender-matched healthy comparison subjects.

RESULTS:

Striatal [(123)I]beta-CIT binding did not differ significantly between the ADHD and comparison subjects.

CONCLUSIONS:

The findings suggest that a hypothesized dysregulation of dopamine function in ADHD does not entail altered dopamine transporter levels.