Quantitative electroencephalography in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and healthy children: Behavioral and age correlates

This pilot study aimed to identify quantitative electroencephalographic (qEEG) biomarkers for children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We examined whether qEEG power correlates with the behavioral symptoms. We included 89 children with ADHD and 77 healthy children as a control group. We conducted EEG spectral analysis in the eyes-closed and eyes-opened conditions and compared the findings with a normative database (Human Brain Index). We measured behavioral parameters by using scales proposed by Barkley. The findings revealed an age-dependent decrease in qEEG power in children with ADHD. We found significant discrimination between children with ADHD and healthy children in the theta/beta ratio and theta activity in the frontal area. We found a notable increasing trend in beta activity across two age groups (6–10 years and > 10 years). Correlation analysis showed an association between qEEG power and hyperactivity in younger children with ADHD, while theta activity in the frontal region correlated positively with hyperactivity. The qEEG power of children with ADHD decreased gradually as age increased, and these changes were related to their symptoms. This pilot study suggests that qEEG differences between children with ADHD and healthy children may serve as a sensitive diagnostic tool, depending on the child’s age. Further research building upon these findings could deepen our understanding of ADHD and its neural correlates.

本先导研究旨在识别注意缺陷多动障碍（attention deficit hyperactivity disorder，ADHD）儿童及青少年的定量脑电图（quantitative electroencephalographic，qEEG）生物标志物。我们探讨了qEEG功率与行为症状之间的相关性。本研究纳入89名ADHD儿童与77名健康儿童作为对照组。我们在闭眼及睁眼状态下开展脑电图频谱分析，并将分析结果与常模数据库（Human Brain Index）进行比对。我们采用巴克利（Barkley）提出的行为量表对行为参数进行测评。研究结果显示，ADHD儿童的qEEG功率随年龄增长呈下降趋势。我们发现，ADHD儿童与健康儿童在额叶区域的θ/β比值及θ活动方面存在显著区分差异。我们观察到，在两个年龄组（6~10岁及＞10岁）中，β活动呈现出显著的上升趋势。相关性分析结果表明，ADHD低龄儿童的qEEG功率与多动症状存在关联，而额叶区域的θ活动与多动症状呈正相关。ADHD儿童的qEEG功率随年龄增长逐渐降低，且此类变化与其临床症状密切相关。本先导研究提示，ADHD儿童与健康儿童之间的qEEG差异或可作为一种敏感的诊断工具，其诊断效能依赖于儿童的年龄。基于本研究结果开展的后续研究，将有助于深化我们对ADHD及其神经关联机制的认知。