Another important difference found between ADHD and typically developing children was the connectivity between NAcc and thalamus. As an important hub in the cortico-basal ganglia system, the thalamus is involved with mediating key behaviors – such as reward/motivation, planning and cognition – significant for goal-directed behaviors (Haber and Calzavara, 2009). Atypical patterns of thalamic functional connectivity were identified in children with ADHD and related to dysfunctions in working-memory performance (Mills et al., 2012). The findings of atypical connectivity of this region with the NAcc in the ADHD group might indicate the involvement of the thalamus with atypical reward processes as well, and also suggest an integration between cognitive and reward processes.
