Are treatment effects of neurofeedback training in children with ADHD related to the successful regulation of brain activity? A review on the learning of regulation of brain activity and a contribution to the discussion on specificity

Abstract Background School-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. Methods We 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. Results During 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. Conclusions This 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.

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Differential effects of methylphenidate and atomoxetine on intrinsic brain activity in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291716001938 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 46 (15) ◽

pp. 3173-3185 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

C. Y. Shang ◽

C. G. Yan ◽

H. Y. Lin ◽

W. Y. Tseng ◽

F. X. Castellanos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽

Attention Deficit ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Movement Time ◽

Children With Adhd ◽

Hyperactivity Disorder ◽

Lingual Gyrus ◽

Adhd Children ◽

Pre Treatment ◽

Intrinsic Brain Activity

BackgroundMethylphenidate and atomoxetine are commonly prescribed for treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, their therapeutic neural mechanisms remain unclear.MethodAfter baseline evaluation including cognitive testing of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB), drug-naive children with ADHD (n = 46), aged 7–17 years, were randomly assigned to a 12-week treatment with methylphenidate (n = 22) or atomoxetine (n = 24). Intrinsic brain activity, including the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) and regional homogeneity (ReHo), was quantified via resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging at baseline and week 12.ResultsReductions in inattentive symptoms were related to increased fALFF in the left superior temporal gyrus and left inferior parietal lobule for ADHD children treated with methylphenidate, and in the left lingual gyrus and left inferior occipital gyrus for ADHD children treated with atomoxetine. Hyperactivity/impulsivity symptom reductions were differentially related to increased fALFF in the methylphenidate group and to decreased fALFF in the atomoxetine group in bilateral precentral and postcentral gyri. Prediction analyses in the atomoxetine group revealed negative correlations between pre-treatment CANTAB simple reaction time and fALFF change in the left lingual gyrus and left inferior occipital gyrus, and positive correlations between pre-treatment CANTAB simple movement time and fALFF change in bilateral precentral and postcentral gyri and left precuneus, with a negative correlation between movement time and the fALFF change in the left lingual gyrus and the inferior occipital gyrus.ConclusionsOur findings suggest differential neurophysiological mechanisms for the treatment effects of methylphenidate and atomoxetine in children with ADHD.

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The Correlation Between Cognitive and Movement Shifting and Brain Activity in Children With ADHD

Journal of Attention Disorders ◽

10.1177/1087054716677816 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 22 (7) ◽

pp. 661-670 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kyoung Doo Kang ◽

Doug Hyun Han ◽

Sun Mi Kim ◽

Sujin Bae ◽

Perry F. Renshaw

Keyword(s):

Rating Scale ◽

Clinical Symptoms ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Wisconsin Card Sorting Test ◽

Card Sorting ◽

Children With Adhd ◽

Adhd Children ◽

Healthy Control ◽

Sorting Test ◽

Cognitive Shifting

Objective: We assessed the correlation between the deficits of cognition, movement, and brain activity in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactvity Disorder (ADHD). Method: We recruited 15 children with ADHD and 15 age- and sex-matched healthy control participants. Clinical symptoms, cognitive shifting, movement shifting, and brain activity were assessed using the Korean ADHD Rating Scale, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), the 7- and 14-ring drill test with hop jumps (7 HJ and 14 HJ), and 3.0 Tesla functional magnetic resonance imaging scanner, respectively. Results: ADHD children showed an increased distance traveled and decreased speed on the 14 HJ task. In response to the WCST task, ADHD children showed decreased activation within right gyrus. Total distance on the 14 HJ task was negatively correlated with the mean β value of Cluster 2 in ADHD children. Conclusion: These results suggested that children with ADHD showed difficulty with attention shifting as well as with movement shifting.

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Altered Functional Connectivity in Children with ADHD Revealed by Scalp EEG: An ERP Study

Neural Plasticity ◽

10.1155/2021/6615384 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Chunli Chen ◽

Huan Yang ◽

Yasong Du ◽

Guangzhi Zhai ◽

Hesheng Xiong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Processing ◽

Early Stage ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Brain Networks ◽

Brain Network ◽

Event Related Potential ◽

Children With Adhd ◽

Scalp Eeg ◽

Adhd Children ◽

The One

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental brain disorders in childhood. Despite extensive researches, the neurobiological mechanism underlying ADHD is still left unveiled. Since the deficit functions, such as attention, have been demonstrated in ADHD, in our present study, based on the oddball P3 task, the corresponding electroencephalogram (EEG) of both healthy controls (HCs) and ADHD children was first collected. And we then not only focused on the event-related potential (ERP) evoked during tasks but also investigated related brain networks. Although an insignificant difference in behavior was found between the HCs and ADHD children, significant electrophysiological differences were found in both ERPs and brain networks. In detail, the dysfunctional attention occurred during the early stage of the designed task; as compared to HCs, the reduced P2 and N2 amplitudes in ADHD children were found, and the atypical information interaction might further underpin such a deficit. On the one hand, when investigating the cortical activity, HCs recruited much stronger brain activity mainly in the temporal and frontal regions, compared to ADHD children; on the other hand, the brain network showed atypical enhanced long-range connectivity between the frontal and occipital lobes but attenuated connectivity among frontal, parietal, and temporal lobes in ADHD children. We hope that the findings in this study may be instructive for the understanding of cognitive processing in children with ADHD.

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