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Topological organization of the "small-world" visual attention network in children with attention
Shugao Xia1, John J Foxe2, Ariane E Sroubek3
1Gruss Magnetic Resonance Research Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Yeshiva University Bronx, NY, USA.
Insights
Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show altered brain network connectivity. These topological differences in the visual attention network may explain ADHD symptoms like inattentiveness and hyperactivity.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Child Psychiatry
- Network Science
Background:
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common childhood psychiatric disorder.
- Disrupted sustained attention is a key impairment in ADHD.
- Understanding the neural basis of attention networks is crucial for ADHD research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To map the systems-level topological properties of the neural network responsible for sustained attention in children with ADHD.
- To investigate the association between anomalies in network features and clinical measures of ADHD.
Main Methods:
- Applied graph theoretic techniques (GTT) and network-based statistics (NBS) to fMRI data.
- Analyzed functional brain networks in 22 children with ADHD and 22 neurotypical controls.
- Performed correlation testing between network properties and clinical ADHD measures.
Main Results:
- ADHD group exhibited reduced local and nodal efficiency in frontal and occipital regions of the visual attention network.
- Observed hyper-functioning in anterior cingulate cortex and hypo-functioning in other brain regions in ADHD.
- NBS revealed significantly reduced pair-wise connectivity in specific brain regions in the ADHD group.
Conclusions:
- Atypical topological features of the visual attention network are implicated in ADHD.
- These network anomalies may underlie inattentiveness and hyperactivity/impulsivity in ADHD.
- Findings highlight the role of network dysfunction in ADHD symptomatology.
Background:
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most commonly diagnosed childhood psychiatric disorder. Disrupted sustained attention is one of the most significant behavioral impairments in this disorder. We mapped systems-level topological properties of the neural network responsible for sustained attention during a visual sustained task, on the premise that strong associations between anomalies in network features and clinical measures of ADHD would emerge.
Methods:
Graph theoretic techniques (GTT) and bivariate network-based statistics (NBS) were applied to fMRI data from 22 children with ADHD combined-type and 22 age-matched neurotypicals, to evaluate the topological and nodal-pairing features in the functional brain networks. Correlation testing for relationships between network properties and clinical measures were then performed.
Results:
The visual attention network showed significantly reduced local-efficiency and nodal-efficiency in frontal and occipital regions in ADHD. Measures of degree and between-centrality pointed to hyper-functioning in anterior cingulate cortex and hypo-functioning in orbito-frontal, middle-occipital, superior-temporal, supra-central, and supra-marginal gyri in ADHD. NBS demonstrated significantly reduced pair-wise connectivity in an inner-network, encompassing right parietal and temporal lobes and left occipital lobe, in the ADHD group.
Conclusions:
These data suggest that atypical topological features of the visual attention network contribute to classic ADHD symptomatology, and may underlie the inattentiveness and hyperactivity/impulsivity that are characteristics of this syndrome.
