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Disrupted functional brain connectivity networks in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: evidence
Mengjing Wang1, Zhishan Hu1, Lu Liu2,3,4
1Beijing Normal University, State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing, China.
Insights
Resting-state functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) offers a motion-tolerant method for brain scanning in children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This study reveals altered brain network efficiency and connectivity in ADHD patients, correlating with symptom severity.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent childhood psychological disorder.
- Conventional neuroimaging methods are challenging for ADHD children due to motion constraints.
- Resting-state functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) presents a viable alternative for brain activity assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and evaluate fNIRS as a neuroimaging technique for spontaneous brain activity in children with ADHD.
- To investigate alterations in brain network properties in ADHD patients using graph theoretical analysis.
- To examine the correlation between brain network features and core ADHD symptoms.
Main Methods:
- Utilized resting-state functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to record brain activity in children with ADHD and healthy controls.
- Calculated brain functional connectivity and applied graph theoretical analysis to assess network properties.
- Correlated brain network features (functional connectivity, nodal efficiency) with ADHD symptom severity.
Main Results:
- ADHD patients showed significantly reduced functional connectivity and global network efficiency compared to controls.
- Altered nodal efficiency was observed in specific brain networks, including increases in visual and dorsal attention networks and decreases in somatomotor and default mode networks.
- Disrupted functional connectivity and nodal efficiency significantly correlated with dimensional ADHD scores.
Conclusions:
- fNIRS is a feasible neuroimaging technique for studying brain activity in children with ADHD.
- The findings highlight disruptions in brain network organization associated with ADHD.
- fNIRS-based connectome analysis holds potential for future research and clinical applications in neurological disorders.
Abstract:
Significance: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common psychological disease in childhood. Currently, widely used neuroimaging techniques require complete body confinement and motionlessness and thus are extremely hard for brain scanning of ADHD children. Aim: We present resting-state functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) as an imaging technique to record spontaneous brain activity in children with ADHD. Approach: The brain functional connectivity was calculated, and the graph theoretical analysis was further applied to investigate alterations in the global and regional properties of the brain network in the patients. In addition, the relationship between brain network features and core symptoms was examined. Results: ADHD patients exhibited significant decreases in both functional connectivity and global network efficiency. Meanwhile, the nodal efficiency in children with ADHD was also found to be altered, e.g., increase in the visual and dorsal attention networks and decrease in somatomotor and default mode networks, compared to the healthy controls. More importantly, the disrupted functional connectivity and nodal efficiency significantly correlated with dimensional ADHD scores. Conclusions: We clearly demonstrate the feasibility and potential of fNIRS-based connectome technique in ADHD or other neurological diseases in the future.
