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Event Related Potentials (ERPs) and other EEG Based Methods for Extracting Biomarkers of Brain Dysfunction: Examples from Pediatric Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
10:02

Event Related Potentials (ERPs) and other EEG Based Methods for Extracting Biomarkers of Brain Dysfunction: Examples from Pediatric Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Published on: March 12, 2020

Psychiatric disorders and behavioral characteristics of pediatric patients with both epilepsy and attention-deficit

Joseph Gonzalez-Heydrich1, Alice Dodds, Jane Whitney

  • 1Psychopharmacology Program, Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. joseph.gonzalez-heydrich@tch.harvard.edu

Epilepsy & Behavior : E&B
|March 21, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Children with epilepsy and ADHD show similar psychiatric comorbidities to those with ADHD alone. This suggests shared underlying causes for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in both groups.

Area of Science:

  • Child Neurology
  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  • Pediatric Psychiatry

Background:

  • Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) co-occurring with epilepsy is not well-characterized.
  • Understanding this comorbidity is crucial for effective treatment strategies in children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare clinical features and psychiatric comorbidities in children with both epilepsy and ADHD.
  • To contrast these findings with existing literature on children with ADHD but without epilepsy.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children (KSADS).
  • Assessed cognitive abilities using the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI).
  • Evaluated adaptive functioning with the Scales for Independent Behavior-Revised (SIB-R).

Main Results:

  • The mean Intelligence Quotient (IQ) was 86 (±19), with a mean SIB-R Standard Score of 72 (±26).
  • ADHD-Combined subtype (inattentive and hyperactive symptoms) was most prevalent (58%).
  • Comorbid disorders were present in 61% of participants, including anxiety disorders (36%) and oppositional defiant disorder (31%).

Conclusions:

  • The pattern of psychiatric comorbidity in children with ADHD and epilepsy mirrors that found in children with ADHD without epilepsy.
  • Preliminary findings suggest common pathophysiological mechanisms underlying ADHD in both epilepsy and non-epilepsy populations.
Abstract

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