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Published on: December 7, 2018
Abnormal Reactivity of Brain Oscillations to Visual Search Target in Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity
Jialiang Guo1, Xiangsheng Luo2, Yuanjun Kong3
1State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China; School of Systems Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
Background:
Previous studies have shown that impaired goal-directed alpha lateralization and functional disconnection within attention networks during the cue period are significant features of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study aimed to explore the role of brain oscillations in the visual search process, focusing on target-induced posterior alpha lateralization, midfrontal theta synchronization, and their functional connection in children with ADHD.
Methods:
Electroencephalograms were recorded from typically developing (TD) children (n = 72) and children with ADHD (n = 96) while they performed a visual search task.
Results:
Both the TD and ADHD groups showed significant midfrontal theta event-related synchronization (ERS) and posterior alpha lateralization. Compared with TD children, children with ADHD showed significantly lower theta ERS and higher target-induced alpha lateralization. TD children showed a positive trial-based correlation between theta ERS and alpha lateralization and a negative correlation between theta ERS and reaction time variability. However, all these correlations were absent in children with ADHD.
Conclusions:
Abnormal brain oscillations in children with ADHD indicate insufficient executive control function and the compensation of attention networks for attention deficits in visual selective attention. Cross-frequency disconnection reflects the common deficiency of executive control in the gating of target information. Our findings provide novel evidence for interpreting the features of brain oscillations during stimulus-driven selective attention in children with ADHD.
