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Brain mapping of bilateral interactions in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and control boys
J Steger1, K Imhof, H Steinhausen
1Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Zurich, Neumünsterallee 9, CH-8032, Zurich, Switzerland.
Insights
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is linked to multilevel brain deficits. This study found impaired visual, central, and pre-motor processing in boys with ADHD, especially during complex tasks.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is commonly associated with attentional control deficits.
- The precise nature of visual and pre-motor processing deficits in ADHD remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the timing and nature of visual, central, and pre-motor processing deficits in children with ADHD.
- To examine brain activity using event-related potential (ERP) microstates and force recordings during a choice reaction time task.
Main Methods:
- Utilized event-related potential (ERP) microstates and continuous force recordings in 15 boys with ADHD and 16 control boys.
- Employed unilateral and bilateral stimulus and response conditions to assess processing stages.
Main Results:
- Boys with ADHD demonstrated poorer performance, particularly in bilateral conditions.
- ADHD boys showed altered visual evoked potential (VEP) amplitudes and attenuated, topographically changed central and pre-motor microstates.
- Reduced lateralized readiness potential was observed in ADHD boys, especially for left-hand responses.
Conclusions:
- Multilevel deficits in ADHD boys impact visuo-attentional, central, and pre-motor processes.
- Brain mapping reveals significant differences in processing across various stages in ADHD.
Objectives:
Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are thought to have deficits in attentional control, whereas the status of deficits at visual and pre-motor processing stages is unclear.
Methods:
The timing of such deficits was examined with event-related potential (ERP) microstates (stimulus- and response-related) and continuous force recordings in 15 ADHD and 16 control boys in a choice reaction time task. Unilateral and bilateral stimulus and response conditions were used to assess bilateral interactions at visual, central, and pre-motor stages.
Results:
ADHD boys showed poorer performance, particularly in the bilateral conditions. In the visual P1 microstates, they exhibited less suppression of visual evoked potential (VEP) amplitudes but similar speeding of VEP latencies in the bilateral compared to the summed unilateral condition. The central P3 and pre-/post-response microstates were attenuated and topographically altered in ADHD boys. The attenuation was most pronounced in the bilateral condition and was similar for stimulus- and response-related averages. The lateralized readiness potential was also reduced in ADHD boys; this was most pronounced for the left hand responses.
Conclusions:
Brain mapping during uni- and bilateral stimulus and response conditions thus indicates multilevel deficits in ADHD boys affecting visuo-attentional, central, and pre-motor processes.