Approximately 40% of autistic individuals also have an ADHD diagnosis. However, in neuroimaging studies, autistic individuals with comorbidities are often excluded, leaving our knowledge about autistic individuals with ADHD very limited. The aim of this study is therefore to increase the neurobiological knowledge of this understudied population.
Both autism and ADHD have been linked to alterations in dopaminergic pathways. ADHD is commonly treated with methylphenidate, which increases dopamine in the mesolimbic system, while autism itself has been associated with dopaminergic abnormalities in similar regions.
Because these overlapping mechanisms may contribute to shared or distinct features of autism and ADHD, further investigation of their dopaminergic profiles is needed, as well as how these dopaminergic alterations affect brain glucose metabolism and neural communication.