Abstract
BackgroundSchool-age children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have difficulties in interpersonal relationships, in addition to impaired facial expression perception and recognition. For successful social interactions, the ability to discriminate between familiar and unfamiliar faces is critical. However, there are no published reports on the recognition of familiar and unfamiliar faces by children with ADHD.MethodsWe evaluated the neural correlates of familiar and unfamiliar facial recognition in children with ADHD compared to typically developing (TD) children. We used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to measure hemodynamic responses on the bilateral temporal regions while participants looked at photographs of familiar and unfamiliar faces. Nine boys with ADHD and 14 age-matched TD boys participated in the study. fNIRS data were Z-scored prior to analysis.ResultsDuring familiar face processing, TD children only showed significant activity in the late phase, while ADHD children showed significant activity in both the early and late phases. Additionally, the boys with ADHD did not show right hemispheric lateralization to familiar faces.ConclusionsThis study is the first to assess brain activity during familiar face processing in boys with ADHD using fNIRS. These findings of atypical patterns of brain activity in boys with ADHD may be related to social cognitive impairments from ADHD.
Highlights
School-age children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have difficulties in interpersonal relationships, in addition to impaired facial expression perception and recognition
Available trials for statistical analysis Data from the 23 boys who looked at faces over more than three trials in both the familiar face and unfamiliar face conditions were obtained
The Z-scores for oxygenated hemoglobin (oxy-Hb) concentrations In the familiar face condition, the Z-scores for oxy-Hb concentrations in the ADHD boys were significantly increased in both temporal cortices in the early phase: right temporal cortex; t (8) = 3.80, p = 0.005; left temporal cortex; t (8) = 2.79, p = 0.023
Summary
School-age children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have difficulties in interpersonal relationships, in addition to impaired facial expression perception and recognition. It is believed that it is due to these symptoms that school-age children with ADHD have difficulties in interpersonal relationships [3]; children with ADHD may have additional social cognitive impairments [4]. These impairments related to ADHD frequently lead to difficulties in daily life and may occasionally result in stressors. It has been shown repeatedly that children with ADHD, those that are school-age, have impaired facial expression perception and recognition [4, 6, 7]
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