Hand movement abnormalities ‘can indicate severity of ADHD’

Scientists have uncovered a potential new method of evaluating the severity of cases of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children by measuring abnormalities in hand movements.

Research from the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center found that children with ADHD are more likely to suffer from mirror overflow movements than those without.

Mirror movements are a marker of abnormal motor control and manifest themselves via an inability to move one side of the body without also moving the other.

It was also found that reductions in the brain's short-interval cortical inhibition mechanism were associated with higher reported levels of severe ADHD symptoms.

Dr Jonathan Mink, associate editor for the Neurology medical journal in which the study was published, said: "The hope is that ultimately these studies and others will guide us toward development and testing of new therapies."

According to NHS figures, ADHD is the most common behavioural disorder in the UK, affecting between three and nine percent of all school-aged children.