P300 event-related potentials as diagnostic biomarkers for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children

Chuanxue Tan1,2, Huimin Zhou1, Anqi Zheng3

  • 1Department of Child Health Care, Xi'an Children's Hospital, Xi'an, China.

Frontiers in Psychiatry
|August 21, 2025
PubMed

Insights

P300 event-related potentials (ERPs) and behavioral markers show promise for diagnosing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children, offering objective insights to complement clinical assessments.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Biomarkers

Background:

  • Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis relies on clinical assessments.
  • Neurophysiological biomarkers offer potential for objective ADHD evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Evaluate P300 event-related potentials (ERPs) as neurophysiological biomarkers for ADHD diagnosis.
  • Establish preliminary diagnostic thresholds for P300 ERPs in ADHD assessment.

Main Methods:

  • 106 children with ADHD and 66 controls participated.
  • Visual Oddball paradigm used to record P300 parameters (amplitude, latency).
  • Logistic regression and ROC analysis determined diagnostic utility.

Main Results:

  • Children with ADHD had lower P300 amplitudes and longer latencies.
  • Cz and Pz amplitudes, reaction time, and correct responses predicted ADHD.
  • ROC analysis indicated significant diagnostic performance for these markers.

Conclusions:

  • P300 ERPs (Cz, Pz amplitude) and behavioral measures are effective ADHD diagnostic indicators.
  • These objective markers can supplement traditional ADHD clinical assessments.
Abstract