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Updated: Apr 21, 2026
An Electrophysiology Protocol to Measure Reward Anticipation and Processing in Children
Published on: October 4, 2018
Effect of brain structure and function on reward anticipation in children and adults with attention deficit
Viola Kappel1, Robert C Lorenz2, Martina Streifling3
1Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, D-13353 Berlin, Germany, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, D-14195 Berlin, Germany, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, D-10117 Berlin, Germany, and Department of Psychology, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Rudower Chaussee 18, D-12489 Berlin, Germany Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, D-13353 Berlin, Germany, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, D-14195 Berlin, Germany, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, D-10117 Berlin, Germany, and Department of Psychology, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Rudower Chaussee 18, D-12489 Berlin, Germany viola.kappel@charite.de.
Abstract:
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with decreased ventral-striatal responsiveness during reward anticipation. However, previous research mostly focused on adults with heterogeneous ADHD subtype and divers drug treatment status while studies in children with ADHD are sparse. Moreover, it remains unclear to what degree ADHD is characterized by a delay of normal brain structure or function maturation. We therefore attempt to determine whether results from structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) are associated with childhood and adult ADHD combined subtype (ADHD-CT). This study used fMRI to compare VS structure and function of 30 participants with ADHD-CT (16 adults, 14 children) and 30 controls (20 adults, 10 children), using a monetary incentive delay task. Joint analyses of structural and functional imaging data were conducted with Biological Parametric Mapping. Reward anticipation elicited decreased ventral-striatal responsiveness in adults but not in children with ADHD-CT. Children and adults with ADHD showed reduced ventral-striatal volume. Taking these gray matter differences into account, the results remained the same. These results suggest that decreased ventral-striatal responsiveness during reward anticipation is present in adults but not in children with ADHD-CT, irrespective of structural characteristics. The question arises whether ventral-striatal hypoactivity is an ADHD correlate that develops during the course of illness.
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