[Contingent negative variation (CNV) in children with hyperkinetic syndrome--an experimental study using the Continuous Performance Test (CPT)].
OBJECTIVE
Evaluation of event-related potentials for selective attention in attention deficit/hyperactivity disordered children.


METHODS
Selective attention processes were examined in a group of 18 boys aged 6 to 12 years with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and compared with the data of a control group of 21 age and sex matched boys. Parallel thereto the event-related potentials (ERP) were derived during the test at the electrode positions Fz, Cz, Pz, and Oz with reference to the linked ears.


RESULTS
Two components of the contingent negative variation (CNV) with different topography were identified in the ERP following a preparatory stimulus (CNV-1: 600 to 1100 ms and CNV-2: 1000 to 1500 ms after the stimulus). There were no group differences at the behavioural level (number of correct detected targets, number of errors). Significant group differences resulted with regard to the topography of the two CNV components. Children with ADD showed an attenuated frontal CNV-1 amplitude and a trend towards increased CNV-1 and CNV-2 occipital amplitudes.


CONCLUSIONS
The results support the hypothesis of impaired frontal inhibitory processes in children with ADD.
Hennighausen
K
K
Universitätsklinikum Freiburg, Abteilung für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie im Kindes- und Jugendalter, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität.
Schulte-Körne
G
G
Warnke
A
A
Remschmidt
H
H
D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D003265:Contingent Negative Variation / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*