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01-05-2012 | Biological Child and Adolescent Psychiatry - Original Article

Compensatory brain activation in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder during a simplified Go/No-go task

Authors: Jun Ma, Du Lei, Xingming Jin, Xiaoxia Du, Fan Jiang, Fei Li, Yiwen Zhang, Xiaoming Shen

Published in: Journal of Neural Transmission | Issue 5/2012

Abstract

Given that a number of recent studies have shown attenuated brain activation in prefrontal regions in children with ADHD, it has been recognized as a disorder in executive function. However, fewer studies have focused exclusively on the compensatory brain activation in ADHD. The present study objective was to investigate the compensatory brain activation patterns during response inhibition (RI) processing in ADHD children. In this study, 15 ADHD children and 15 sex-, age-, and IQ-matched control children were scanned with a 3-T MRI equipment while performing a simplified letter Go/No-go task. The results showed more brain activation in the ADHD group compared with the control group, whereas the accuracy and reaction time of behavioral performance were the same. Children with ADHD did not activate the normal RI brain circuits, which are thought to be predominantly located in the right middle/inferior frontal gyrus (BA46/44), right inferior parietal regions (BA40), and pre-SMA(BA6), but instead, activated brain regions, such as the left inferior frontal cortex, the right inferior temporal cortex, the right precentral gyrus, the left postcentral gyrus, the inferior occipital cortex, the middle occipital cortex, the right calcarine, the right hippocampus, the right midbrain, and the cerebellum. Our conclusion is that children with ADHD tend to compensatorily use more posterior and diffusive brain regions to sustain normal RI function.

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Title: Compensatory brain activation in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder during a simplified Go/No-go task
Authors: Jun Ma
Du Lei
Xingming Jin
Xiaoxia Du
Fan Jiang
Fei Li
Yiwen Zhang
Xiaoming Shen
Publication date: 01-05-2012
Publisher: Springer Vienna
Published in: Journal of Neural Transmission / Issue 5/2012
Print ISSN: 0300-9564
Electronic ISSN: 1435-1463
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-011-0744-0

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Compensatory brain activation in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder during a simplified Go/No-go task

Abstract

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Abstract

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