Quantitative EEG differences in a nonclinical sample of children with ADHD and undifferentiated ADD.
OBJECTIVE
To use quantitative electroencephalographic (EEG) techniques to identify electrophysiological differences between children with distinct disorders of attention and/or hyperactivity.


METHODS
Forty children from a prescreened community sample were evaluated by means of both spectral EEG and evoked response potential (ERP) techniques. The children were 7 to 13 years of age and were selected on the basis of membership in one of the following DSM-III-R categories: attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (n = 16), undifferentiated attention deficit disorder (UADD) (n = 12), or no disruptive disorder diagnosis (n = 12).


RESULTS
Spectral EEG revealed that UADD subjects had less delta band relative percent power (RPP) (p < .01), more beta band RPP (p < .01), and ERP findings of a decreased rare tone P300 amplitude (p < .02) compared with the control group. ADHD subjects had spectral EEG findings of increased beta band RPP (p < .05) and ERP findings of an increased common tone N100 latency (p < .02) and a decreased rare tone P300 amplitude (p < .02). Interhemispheric asymmetries appeared to distinguish the groups: the UADD group had spectral EEG asymmetries; the ADHD group had only ERP asymmetries; and the control group had no asymmetries.


CONCLUSIONS
Quantitative EEG techniques may prove useful in differentiating specific subtypes of ADHD.
Kuperman
S
S
Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, USA.
Johnson
B
B
Arndt
S
S
Lindgren
S
S
Wolraich
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002648:Child; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011897:Random Allocation; D014888:Wechsler Scales