Electrophysiological and morphological alteration in the visual pathway of children with
Zixuan Huang1,2,3, Ye Wu1,2, Gantian Huang1,2
1Department of Ophthalmology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Insights
Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show altered optic disc parameters and visual evoked potentials (VEP). These findings suggest potential early visual processing disorders in ADHD, aiding in early intervention strategies.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder in children.
- Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and Visual Evoked Potentials (VEP) are non-invasive techniques used to study neurodevelopmental mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate potential neurodevelopmental biomarkers in children with ADHD using OCT and VEP.
- To explore differences in ocular parameters and visual processing between children with ADHD and healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- Compared OCT-derived retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL), optic disc, and macular parameters in 37 children with ADHD and 38 controls.
- Assessed VEP P100 latency and N75-P100/P100-N135 amplitudes at various spatial frequencies in both groups.
Main Results:
- Children with ADHD exhibited significantly larger optic disc area, cup-to-disc ratio, and cup volume compared to controls (p < 0.05).
- ADHD group showed significantly prolonged P100 latency (p < 0.05) and significantly reduced N75-P100 and P100-N135 amplitudes (p ≤ 0.001) in VEP tests.
- No significant differences were found in average RNFL thickness between groups (p > 0.05).
Conclusions:
- Children with ADHD may experience early visual information processing disorders, indicated by electrophysiological and structural ocular findings.
- These results provide a basis for early intervention in ADHD through visual perception-based strategies.
Introduction:
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in children. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and Visual evoked potentials (VEP) are common non-invasive diagnostic techniques. Researchers can use these techniques to identify possible biomarkers and explore the neurodevelopmental mechanisms underlying ADHD.
Methods:
The ADHD group (37 cases, average age 8.81 ± 1.44 years) and the healthy controls (38 cases, average age 8.97 ± 1.43 years), had the OCT and VEP. The retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL), optic disc parameters, and macular parameters were measured through OCT. The latencies of P100 and the amplitudes of N75-P100 and P100-N135 waves at three different spatial frequencies (visual angles of 15', 30', and 60') were tested through VEP.
Results:
The average RNFL and RNFL in each quadrant between the two groups were no statistically significant (all p > 0.05). The optic disc area, average cup-to-disc ratio, and cup volume in the ADHD group were all significantly larger than those in the control group (all p < 0.05). At three visual angles (15', 30', 60'), P100-latency in the ADHD group were all more significant than those in the control group (all p < 0.05). The amplitudes of N75-P100 and P100-N135 in the ADHD group were all statistically significantly lower than those in the control group (all p ≤ 0.001).
Discussion:
From the perspective of electroencephalophysiology, children with ADHD may have early visual information processing disorders. This provides a theoretical and practical basis for further early intervention in children with ADHD from the field of visual perception. The study protocol followed the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki, was approved by the local ethics committee (No 2023-2240), and was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (ChiCTR2400086223).
