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Updated: Sep 17, 2025

Event Related Potentials ERPs and other EEG Based Methods for Extracting Biomarkers of Brain Dysfunction: Examples from Pediatric Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder ADHD
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Event Related Potentials ERPs and other EEG Based Methods for Extracting Biomarkers of Brain Dysfunction: Examples from Pediatric Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder ADHD

Published on: March 12, 2020

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Early age at seizure onset is a risk factor for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children with epilepsy

Iris Caggia1, Romain Bouet2, Julien Jung3

  • 1Centre de recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon, INSERM U1028/CNRS UMR 5292, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France; Faculté sciences et ingénierie, Université Paul Sabatier - Toulouse 3, Toulouse, France.

Epilepsy & Behavior : E&B
|July 2, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Children with epilepsy and ADHD experience earlier seizure onset. Early screening for ADHD is crucial as it worsens school impact in pediatric epilepsy patients.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Child Psychiatry
  • Epileptology

Background:

  • Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common comorbidity in children with epilepsy.
  • Understanding the relationship between seizure onset and ADHD is vital for effective management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if ADHD diagnosis in children with epilepsy is associated with earlier seizure onset, independent of other epilepsy-related factors.
  • To assess the impact of ADHD on academic performance in children with epilepsy.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of data from 203 children (6-17 years) with epilepsy, categorized into those with and without ADHD.
  • Utilized the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fifth edition for ADHD diagnosis.
  • Employed binary logistic regression to analyze the effects of seizure onset age, epilepsy type, seizure frequency, and antiseizure medication on ADHD diagnosis.

Main Results:

  • 52% of children with epilepsy had comorbid ADHD.
  • Children with epilepsy and ADHD showed a significantly higher school impact index (33% vs 19%).
  • Earlier age at seizure onset was significantly associated with an increased risk of ADHD diagnosis (OR=0.99, p=0.008), independent of other factors.

Conclusions:

  • Earlier seizure onset in childhood epilepsy increases the risk of ADHD diagnosis.
  • ADHD exacerbates the negative impact on school performance in children with epilepsy.
  • Early, systematic screening for ADHD is imperative in children diagnosed with epilepsy.

Keywords:
ADHDChildhood epilepsyChildrenCognitionDevelopmental disorderSchool

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