Resting-State Heartbeat-Evoked Potentials in Children With ADHD and its Comorbidity With ASD: A Pilot Study

The interaction between the heart and brain is crucial for the normal functioning of the human body, and heartbeat-evoked potentials (HEPs) provide a way to reflect this heart-brain interaction. Individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been reported to exhibit abnormalities in heart rate variability, suggesting that cardiac autonomic dysfunction may affect the afferent signals reaching the brain. To the best of our knowledge, the study of HEPs in children with ADHD has not been fully explored. In this pilot study, we recruited eight children diagnosed with ADHD and seven children with comorbid ADHD and autism spectrum disorder (ADHD+ASD). Electrocardiogram (ECG) and electroencephalogram (EEG) data were collected during resting state conditions to investigate potential HEP abnormalities in both groups. Peak and mean amplitudes of HEP curves were extracted as features. Our results revealed that the HEPs of the ADHD+ASD group exhibited higher amplitudes than those of the ADHD-only group, particularly in the time windows around 200 ms and 400 ms after the R wave. The parietal-occipital regions may serve as key areas for further investigation. This study offers a novel perspective for understanding the neural mechanisms and interoceptive states in ADHD and ASD, with potential implications for diagnostic approaches.