ASD and ADHD: Divergent activating patterns of prefrontal cortex in executive function tasks?

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often exhibit executive function (EF) deficits.
• Functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) is increasingly utilized to assess prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation during cognitive tasks in pediatric populations.
• Understanding PFC activation patterns in ASD and ADHD is crucial for characterizing neurodevelopmental differences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and synthesize findings from fNIRS studies examining PFC activation in children with ASD and ADHD during EF tasks.
• To compare PFC activation patterns between children with ASD, children with ADHD, and typically developing (TD) controls.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was conducted following PRISMA guidelines, identifying 630 articles.
• Eleven studies met eligibility criteria, including participants aged 6-16 diagnosed with ASD or ADHD (DSM-4/5), utilizing fNIRS for EF tasks with TD controls.
• Quantitative analysis focused on between-group comparisons of PFC activation.

Main Results:

• Children with ASD and ADHD demonstrated opposing prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation patterns compared to typically developing (TD) children.
• These divergent activation patterns were observed specifically during n-back tasks, a measure of working memory and executive function.
• The findings highlight task-specific alterations in PFC function associated with ASD and ADHD in young individuals.

Conclusions:

• fNIRS can differentiate PFC activation profiles between ASD, ADHD, and TD children during executive function tasks.
• The study identified contrasting PFC activation patterns in ASD and ADHD, suggesting distinct neurobiological underpinnings for their executive function deficits.
• Further research is warranted to explore these task-specific PFC activation differences and their implications for intervention strategies.