[Electroencephalographic alterations in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder]

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a syndrome that affects between 3 5% of the population of school aged children, and may be accompanied by learning, language, behavioural or motor disorders. Although various electroencephalographic alterations have been described in these patients, their pathological significance has not been determined. There have also been reports of children with neuropsychological and language disorders having epileptiform anomalies in the EEG recording.

We conducted a study of 15 children, with no history of seizures, who had been referred to Child Neurology for treatment and who satisfied the criteria for ADHD according to the DSM IV and the ADHRS (attention deficit/hyperactivity rating scale).

The EEG recording in the waking state showed significant anomalies in two of our patients (acute spike and wave paroxysmal activity in the left temporoparietal region and spike wave discharges during hyperventilation). The polysomnographic study revealed specific alterations in four children. There was a continuous spike wave trace during slow sleep (CSWS) in one case, paroxysmal activity (slow acute waves, spikes) in the temporoparietal region with secondary generalization or transmission (two cases), and frequent generalized paroxysmal discharges of slow acute waves in all phases of sleep (one case).

The neurophysiological disorders observed in some of our patients could make it necessary to consider performing a night time polysomnographic study in certain cases of ADHD.