A landmark study from two decades ago, which suggested that the brains of children with ADHD mature more slowly, has been called into question. New research indicates that the original finding was a statistical mirage.
The earlier conclusion, based on brain scans of a few hundred children, was actually reflecting average sex differences in brain development between boys and girls. The original dataset, with its smaller sample size, may have been skewed to more closely represent the typical male brain development trajectory.
This reanalysis removes what was considered a key hallmark of the ADHD brain.