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Disinhibition in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: Changes in [oxy-Hb] on near-infrared
Sayaka Ishii1, Yoshimi Kaga1, Tomoko Tando2
1Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Japan; Department of Pediatrics, National Hospital Organization Kofu Hospital, Japan.
Insights
Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) show reduced prefrontal brain activity during a "rock, paper, scissors" game. This finding may help in early AD/HD diagnosis and treatment.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) is a common developmental disorder often linked to frontal lobe dysfunction.
- Objective measurement of neurological findings in children with AD/HD during frontal tasks has been challenging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To objectively investigate frontal inhibitory function in children with AD/HD using a familiar game.
- To explore the utility of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for assessing brain activity during cognitive tasks in children with AD/HD.
Main Methods:
- Compared 18 children with AD/HD to 27 typically developing children (TDC), divided into younger (6-10 years) and older (11-16 years) age groups.
- Measured oxygenated hemoglobin [oxy-Hb] changes in the prefrontal cortex using NIRS during a 'to lose' rock, paper, scissors (RPS) task.
- Participants responded to a displayed RPS signal with the losing move.
Main Results:
- Correct performance increased with age in both groups.
- Older TDC children performed significantly better than older children with AD/HD.
- Children with AD/HD, across both age groups, exhibited significantly lower prefrontal [oxy-Hb] activity during the task, especially in the dorsolateral area.
Conclusions:
- Reduced prefrontal activation during the 'to lose' RPS task may serve as a potential biomarker for diagnosing AD/HD.
- This objective measure could aid in the early detection and treatment of AD/HD in children.
Objective:
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) is a common developmental disorder. Many reports have suggested that symptoms of AD/HD are related to frontal lobe dysfunctions, particularly disinhibition. However, measuring neurological findings with biomarkers during frontal functional tasks has sometimes been difficult in children with AD/HD. This study aimed to investigate frontal inhibitory function objectively in children with AD/HD during "rock, paper, scissors" (RPS) tasks, as a familiar game for Japanese children, using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS).
Subjects And Methods:
Eighteen children with AD/HD were compared with 27 typically developing children (TDC). Children from each group were divided into two age groups: younger, 6-10years; and older, 11-16years. Changes in oxygenated hemoglobin [oxy-Hb] were measured in the prefrontal region using NIRS during a 'to lose' RPS task, in which subjects were asked to present the RPS signal that would lose in response to one of the three signals displayed randomly on a computer screen every 2.0s.
Results:
The rate of correct performance with both TDC and AD/HD increased with age. Only in the older group, the rate of correct performance was significantly higher with TDC than with AD/HD. However, children with AD/HD in both age groups showed significantly lower [oxy-Hb] activity in the prefrontal region during the 'to lose' RPS task, particularly in the dorsolateral area.
Conclusions:
Our results suggest that prefrontal region activation during the 'to lose' RPS task could offer a biomarker for diagnosing AD/HD, and may help in the early treatment of AD/HD.
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