Altered neural flexibility in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
Weiyan Yin1, Tengfei Li1,2, Peter J Mucha3,4
1Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Molecular Psychiatry
|July 22, 2022
Summary
Children with ADHD show reduced neural flexibility, impacting executive functions. Medication improved flexibility in ADHD patients, suggesting its potential for diagnosis and treatment monitoring.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common childhood neurodevelopmental disorder.
- Altered executive functioning is a key characteristic of ADHD.
- Brain's dynamic reconfiguration and neural flexibility are crucial for cognitive flexibility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate alterations in dynamic brain reconfiguration and neural flexibility in children with ADHD.
- To compare neural flexibility between children with ADHD and typically developing children (TDC).
- To explore the impact of medication on neural flexibility in ADHD.
Main Methods:
- Multilayer community detection applied to resting-state fMRI data.
- Analysis of neural flexibility at whole-brain and sub-network levels.
- Comparison of neural flexibility between ADHD (medicated and unmedicated) and TDC groups.
Main Results:
- Significantly decreased neural flexibility was observed in children with ADHD compared to TDC.
- Medication in ADHD subjects was associated with increased neural flexibility, nearing TDC levels.
- Regional neural flexibility effectively differentiated ADHD from TDC and predicted ADHD severity.
Conclusions:
- Neural flexibility is significantly altered in children with ADHD.
- Neural flexibility shows potential as a biomarker for ADHD diagnosis and severity assessment.
- Neural flexibility may serve as a tool for monitoring treatment response in ADHD.
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