Abstract
BackgroundAttention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent disorders in children and adolescence. Impulsivity is one of three core symptoms and likely associated with inhibition difficulties. To date the neural correlate of the antisaccade task, a test of response inhibition, has not been studied in children with (or without) ADHD.MethodsAntisaccade responses to visual and acoustic cues were examined in nine unmedicated boys with ADHD (mean age 122.44 ± 20.81 months) and 14 healthy control children (mean age 115.64 ± 22.87 months, three girls) while an electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded. Brain activity before saccade onset was reconstructed using a 23-source-montage.ResultsWhen cues were acoustic, children with ADHD had a higher source activity than control children in Medio-Frontal Cortex (MFC) between -230 and -120 ms and in the left-hemispheric Temporal Anterior Cortex (TAC) between -112 and 0 ms before saccade onset, despite both groups performing similarly behaviourally (antisaccades errors and saccade latency). When visual cues were used EEG-activity preceding antisaccades did not differ between groups.ConclusionChildren with ADHD exhibit altered functioning of the TAC and MFC during an antisaccade task elicited by acoustic cues. Children with ADHD need more source activation to reach the same behavioural level as control children.
Highlights
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent disorders in children and adolescence
Until now, no study has examined brain function during antisaccade tasks in ADHD, this might lead to important new insight into the cortical mechanisms of behavioural inhibition and its dysfunction in ADHD
The main finding of the study was that children with and without ADHD differed in brain activity when saccades were elicited by acoustic cues
Summary
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent disorders in children and adolescence. To date the neural correlate of the antisaccade task, a test of response inhibition, has not been studied in children with (or without) ADHD. Children with ADHD have difficulties with cognitive control, working memory and response inhibition [1]. Antisaccades are one way to examine inhibition, as antisaccade tasks require the suppression of the automatic response to look towards a peripheral cue and to generate a saccade in the opposition direction instead [3]. Error rates during antisaccade tasks reflect the ability to inhibit a response, while saccadic reaction times (SRT) during correct trials reflect the duration of the underlying cognitive and motor processes. Until now, no study has examined brain function during antisaccade tasks in ADHD, this might lead to important new insight into the cortical mechanisms of behavioural inhibition and its dysfunction in ADHD
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