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Greater Frontoparietal Connectivity During Task Engagement Among Toddlers With Parent-Reported Inattention
Heather M Joseph1, Hendrik Santosa2, Nadiyah Fisher3
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Insights
Toddlers at risk for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show distinct brain connectivity patterns. Early identification of these neural differences may inform future interventions for ADHD.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with lifelong impacts.
- ADHD-related behaviors can manifest in toddlerhood, but early neural markers are not well understood.
- Disrupted neural connectivity in executive control networks, including the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and dorsal attention network (DAN), is characteristic of ADHD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if altered neural connectivity can be identified in toddlers at risk for ADHD before the disorder's typical onset.
- To examine the relationship between mother-reported ADHD-related behaviors and neural connectivity in young children.
Main Methods:
- Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to assess neural connectivity in 51 children aged 1.5-3 years during a book-engaging task.
- Robust innovation-based correlation was employed to compute neural connectivity.
- Mother-reported ADHD-related behaviors were correlated with neural connectivity measures.
Main Results:
- High task engagement was observed across participants and did not correlate with ADHD-related behaviors.
- Attention was associated with increased connectivity between the right lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the right temporal parietal junction (TPJ).
- Children exhibiting more ADHD-related behaviors showed greater frontoparietal connectivity, specifically between the bilateral PFC and the right TPJ.
Conclusions:
- Toddlers at risk for ADHD may exhibit increased frontoparietal connectivity, potentially to sustain attention.
- These findings suggest that neural connectivity alterations may be detectable in early childhood.
- Further research is needed to explore early interventions targeting attention development and their impact on PFC and attention network connectivity.
Abstract:
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder with lifelong impairments. ADHD-related behaviors have been observed as early as toddlerhood for children who later develop ADHD. Children with ADHD have disrupted connectivity in neural circuitry involved in executive control of attention, including the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and dorsal attention network (DAN). It is not known if these alterations in connectivity can be identified before the onset of ADHD. Children (N = 51) 1.5-3 years old were assessed using functional near-infrared spectroscopy while engaging with a book. The relation between mother-reported ADHD-related behaviors and neural connectivity, computed using robust innovation-based correlation, was examined. Task engagement was high across the sample and unrelated to ADHD-related behaviors. Observed attention was associated with greater connectivity between the right lateral PFC and the right temporal parietal junction (TPJ). Children with greater ADHD-related behaviors had greater frontoparietal connectivity, particularly between the PFC bilaterally and the right TPJ. Toddlers at risk for developing ADHD may require increased frontoparietal connectivity to sustain attention. Future work is needed to examine early interventions that enhance developing attention and their effect on neural connectivity between the PFC and attention networks.
