Altered Variability and Concordance of Dynamic Resting-State fMRI Indices in Patients With Attention Deficit
Feiling Lou1, Jiejie Tao1, Ronghui Zhou1
1Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
Insights
This study found altered brain activity patterns in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Dynamic brain activity variability and concordance may serve as potential ADHD biomarkers, linked to cognitive control deficits.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Child Psychiatry
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common childhood neuropsychiatric disorder.
- Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (R-fMRI) reveals altered static and dynamic brain activity in ADHD.
- The concordance of dynamic R-fMRI indices in ADHD remains underexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate alterations in the variability and concordance of dynamic brain activity indices in children with ADHD compared to healthy controls.
- To explore the relationship between these dynamic brain activity measures and cognitive control in ADHD.
Main Methods:
- Utilized R-fMRI data from 50 ADHD patients and 28 healthy controls (HC).
- Calculated regional dynamic brain activity indices using the sliding-window method.
- Compared variability and voxel-wise concordance of these indices between groups and correlated them with clinical scores.
Main Results:
- ADHD patients exhibited decreased dynamic amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (dALFF) variability in the left middle frontal gyrus and increased variability in the right middle occipital gyrus.
- Reduced voxel-wise concordance of dynamic indices was observed in the left middle frontal gyrus of ADHD patients.
- Lower left middle frontal gyrus concordance in ADHD correlated with poorer performance on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, indicating impaired cognitive control.
Conclusions:
- Variability and concordance of dynamic brain activity show potential as diagnostic biomarkers for ADHD.
- Decreased voxel-wise concordance in the left middle frontal gyrus is associated with cognitive control deficits in ADHD.
Abstract:
Objective: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a commonly diagnosed neuropsychiatric disorder in children, which is characterized by inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (R-fMRI), the alterations of static and dynamic characteristics of intrinsic brain activity have been identified in patients with ADHD. Yet, it remains unclear whether the concordance among indices of dynamic R-fMRI is altered in ADHD. Methods: R-fMRI scans obtained from 50 patients with ADHD and 28 healthy controls (HC) were used for the current study. We calculated the regional dynamic changes in brain activity indices using the sliding-window method and compared the differences in variability of these indices between ADHD patients and HCs. Further, the concordance among these dynamic indices was calculated and compared. Finally, the relationship between variability/concordance of these indices and ADHD-relevant clinical test scores was investigated. Results: Patients with ADHD showed decreased variability of dynamic amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (dALFF) in the left middle frontal gyrus and increased one in right middle occipital gyrus, as compared with the HCs. Besides, ADHD patients showed decreased voxel-wise concordance in the left middle frontal gyrus. Further, lower voxel-wise concordance in ADHD's left middle frontal gyrus was associated with more non-perseverative errors in Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, which reflects worse cognitive control. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that variability and concordance in dynamic brain activity may serve as biomarkers for the diagnosis of ADHD. Further, the decreased voxel-wise concordance is associated with deficit in cognitive control in ADHD patients.
