Altered neural circuits related to sustained attention and executive control in children with ADHD: an event-related
Suhong Wang1, Yilin Yang, Wei Xing
1Mental Health Institute, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, China; Department of Neuroscience, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, China.
Insights
Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) exhibit altered brain activity in regions crucial for sustained attention and executive control. These findings highlight distinct neural circuit differences in ADHD.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder.
- Sustained attention and executive functions are frequently impaired in children with ADHD.
- Understanding the neural underpinnings of these deficits is crucial for developing effective interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neural basis of sustained attention, executive processing, and cognitive control in medication-naïve children with ADHD.
- To compare brain activation patterns between children with ADHD and healthy controls during a demanding cognitive task.
Main Methods:
- Event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed.
- Participants included 28 medication-naïve children with ADHD (aged 7-12 years) and 31 healthy controls.
- A cued continuous performance task (AX-CPT) with three stimulus context conditions (Go, NoGo, Lure) was administered.
Main Results:
- Children with ADHD showed increased activation in the left middle frontal gyrus, bilateral middle temporal gyrus, left precuneus, and right cerebellum posterior lobe under the Lure condition compared to controls.
- In the Lure condition, ADHD children exhibited increased activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus, right medial frontal gyrus, and right inferior parietal gyrus, contrasting with the NoGo condition.
Conclusions:
- Medication-naïve children with ADHD demonstrate spatial and temporal abnormalities in neural activity related to sustained attention and executive control.
- Distinct alterations in neural circuits underlying sustained attention and executive control are evident in children with ADHD.
- These findings enhance the understanding of the neural substrates of cognitive impairment in pediatric ADHD.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to investigate the neural basis of sustained attention, executive processing, and cognitive control in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Methods:
Event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to compare brain activation of 28 medication-naïve children with ADHD aged 7-12 years and 31 healthy controls during a cued continuous performance task (AX-CPT) in three stimulus context conditions (Go, NoGo, Lure).
Results:
The children with ADHD showed increased activation in the left middle frontal gyrus, bilateral middle temporal gyrus, left precuneus and right cerebellum posterior lobe under the Lure condition compared to the controls. In the Lure condition, in contrast to the NoGo condition, an increased activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus, right medial frontal gyrus and right inferior parietal gyrus was observed in ADHD children.
Conclusions:
The results demonstrate that medication-naïve ADHD children show spatial and temporal abnormalities in neural activities involved in sustained attention and executive control.
Significance:
These findings show that there are distinct alternations in neural circuits related to sustained attention and executive control in children with ADHD, and further improve our understanding of the neural substrates of cognitive impairment in children with ADHD.
