Large study debunks the idea that ADHD brains mature more slowly

A new analysis of the ABCD longitudinal dataset (11,000+ youths) shows that the long-standing claim that brains of kids with ADHD mature more slowly is likely a mirage. When researchers accounted for sex differences in how boys’ and girls’ brains develop over time, the previously observed link between ADHD and delayed cortical thinning disappeared. The finding suggests ADHD remains a biological condition with genetic components, but that early brain-imaging signals lacked reliable diagnostic biomarkers and highlighted replication challenges in neuroscience.