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Response inhibition in children with different subtypes/presentations of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A
Yike Zhu1, Siqi Liu2, Fan Zhang2
1Center of Children's Healthcare, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China.
Insights
This study used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to show differences in prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation between subtypes of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ADHD subtypes exhibit distinct PFC activation patterns during executive function tasks, suggesting fNIRS as a potential diagnostic biomarker.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Executive dysfunction in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is linked to the prefrontal cortex (PFC).
- Controversy exists regarding PFC activation patterns in children with ADHD, potentially varying by subtype.
- Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) has not been used to compare PFC activation across ADHD subtypes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation differences in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) subtypes.
- To explore PFC activation during an executive function task using fNIRS.
- To correlate PFC activation with clinical symptoms in ADHD subtypes.
Main Methods:
- Participants included typically developing (TD) children (n=28), ADHD-predominantly inattentive (ADHD-PI) (n=39), and ADHD-combined (ADHD-C) (n=24).
- The Go/No-go task assessed response inhibition, with PFC activation measured by fNIRS.
- Behavioral data were collected alongside fNIRS recordings.
Main Results:
- Both TD and ADHD children showed right PFC activation (MFG, IFG) during response inhibition, with varying degrees.
- ADHD-PI children exhibited reduced right PFC activation extent compared to TD children; ADHD-C children showed a trend towards enhanced activation.
- ADHD-PI and ADHD-C groups displayed impaired temporal gyrus activation; ADHD-PI also showed impaired right precentral gyrus and supplementary motor area activation.
Conclusions:
- Prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation in children with different ADHD subtypes shows both commonalities and distinctions.
- Right PFC (Ch34) activation negatively correlated with clinical symptoms in children with ADHD.
- fNIRS shows promise as a hemodynamic biomarker for ADHD diagnosis.
Background:
Executive dysfunction in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is thought to be closely related to the prefrontal cortex (PFC). However, there is controversy over the activation of the PFC in children with ADHD. Differences could be related to the subtype. Meanwhile, no study to date has used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to explore the differences between subtypes. Thus, this study aimed to explore the activation of the PFC in children with different subtypes of ADHD during executive function task.
Methods:
Participants in this study include typically developing (TD) children (n = 28), ADHD-predominantly inattentive (ADHD-PI) (n = 39) and ADHD-combined (ADHD-C) (n = 24). To examine the executive function of ADHD, the Go/No-go task is chosen to assess the response inhibition function. The activation of PFC in all participants during the Go/No-go task was recorded by fNIRS. Meanwhile, behavioral data were also recorded.
Results:
Both TD and ADHD children activated the right PFC [middle frontal gyrus (MFG) and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG)] during response inhibition. However, the range and degree of activation differed among these groups. Compared with TD children, those with ADHD-PI had a smaller extent of activation in the right PFC, and those with ADHD-C only had a tendency to enhance activation. In addition, children with ADHD-PI and ADHD-C had impaired activation of the temporal gyrus. Besides, compared with ADHD-C and TD, those with ADHD-PI also had impaired activation of the right precentral gyrus (PG), and the supplementary motor area (SMA). Compared with ADHD-PI, ADHD-C showed decreased activation of the right MFG. The activation of Ch34 (BA44, rPFC) in children with ADHD-PI and ADHD-C was negatively correlated with their clinical symptoms.
Conclusion:
The activation of the PFC in children with different subtypes of ADHD has both commonalities and differences. The degree of activation of the right PFC Ch34 in children with ADHD is negatively correlated with clinical symptoms. fNIRS could be served as a candidate hemodynamic biomarker for the diagnosis of ADHD.
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