Effect of methylphenidate on auditory event related potential in boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
M F Ozdag1, O Yorbik, U H Ulas
1Gulhane Military Medical Faculty, Neurology Department, Etlik, Ankara 06018, Turkey. jaromir.astl@seznam.cz
Insights
Event related brain potentials (ERPs) reveal differences in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methylphenidate (MPH) treatment normalized most ERPs, suggesting it improves information processing but not initial sensory reception in ADHD.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Psychopharmacology
Background:
- Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) offer non-invasive insights into neural processing.
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with cognitive and sensory information processing differences.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate P100, N200, and P300 ERP components in children with ADHD versus controls.
- Determine the impact of methylphenidate (MPH) on these ERPs in children with ADHD.
Main Methods:
- Auditory oddball paradigm used to record ERP latencies and amplitudes.
- Parietal and frontal ERP indices measured in ADHD and healthy children, before and during MPH treatment.
Main Results:
- Children with ADHD showed prolonged P3 latency and reduced P3/N2 amplitudes compared to controls before MPH.
- MPH decreased P3 latency and increased P3/P1 amplitudes in ADHD.
- Post-MPH, most ERPs in ADHD children normalized to control levels, except for N2 amplitudes.
Conclusions:
- ADHD is linked to deficits in signal detection and information processing.
- MPH effectively normalizes most ERP abnormalities in ADHD, indicating improved information processing.
- MPH's effects suggest it may not fully restore sensory information reception in ADHD.
Objective:
Event related brain potentials (ERPs) is a non-invasive technique giving knowledge about neural activity associated with sensory and cognitive information processing. The aims of the present study were to investigate amplitude and latency of P100, N200, and P300 in parietal and frontal areas in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and in healthy children, and to determine the effect of methylphenidate (MPH) on these ERPs indices in ADHD group.
Methods:
ERP indices, latencies of parietal P3 (PP3L), P1 (PP1L), N2 (PN2L), and frontal P1 (FP1L), N2 (FN2L), P3 (FP3L), and amplitudes of parietal P3 (PP3A), P1 (PP1A), N2 (PN2A), and frontal P1 (FP1A), N2 (FN2A), and P3 (FP3A), using an auditory oddball paradigm were recorded before and under MPH treatment in boys with ADHD, and in 23 healthy children.
Results:
Before MPH treatment, PP3L was significantly longer and PP3A, PN2A, FN2A, and FP3A smaller in children with ADHD compared to healthy children (all P values < .05). No significant difference was found in PP1L, PP1A, PN2L, FP1L, FP1A, FN2L, and FP3L between ADHD and control group (all P values > .05). MPH treatment resulted in a significant decrease in PP3L, PN2L, and FP3L, and increase in PP3A, PP1A, and FP3A (all P values < .05). There was no significant difference in PP1L, PN2A, FP1L, FP1A, FN2L, and FN2A between before MPH and under MPH treatment in ADHD subjects (all P values > .05). Under MPH treatment, PP3L, PP3A, PP1L, PP1A, PN2L, FP1L, FP1A, FN2L, FP3L, and FP3A were not significantly different between children with ADHD and healthy controls (all P values > .05). However, PN2A and FN2A were significantly smaller in ADHD subjects compared to controls (both P values < .05).
Conclusion:
This study provides indirect evidence that ADHD subjects are associated with abnormalities in signal detection (inattention) and discrimination, and information processing. In addition, present study has shown that except FN2A and PN2A, MPH normalizes ERP indices, which suggested that MPH may be effective on impaired information processing in ADHD, but not on the receiving information.
