title: Dysfunctional modulation of default mode network activity in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
abstract: The state regulation deficit model posits that individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have difficulty applying mental effort effectively under suboptimal conditions such as very fast and very slow event rates (ERs). ADHD is also associated with diminished suppression of default mode network (DMN) activity and related performance deficits on tasks requiring effortful engagement. The current study builds on these 2 literatures to test the hypothesis that failure to modulate DMN activity in ADHD might be especially pronounced at ER extremes. Nineteen adults with ADHD and 20 individuals without any neuropsychiatric condition successfully completed a simple target detection task under 3 ER conditions (2-, 4-, and 8-s interstimulus intervals) inside the scanner. Task-related DMN deactivations were compared between 2 groups. There was a differential effect of ER on DMN activity for individuals with ADHD compared to controls. Individuals with ADHD displayed excessive DMN activity at the fast and slow, but not at the moderate ER. The results indicate that DMN attenuation in ADHD is disrupted in suboptimal energetic states where additional effort is required to optimize task engagement. DMN dysregulation may be an important element of the neurobiological underpinnings of state regulation deficits in ADHD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental-Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University.
authors.forename: Baris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Metin
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University.
authors.forename: Ruth M
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-0676-7611
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Krebs
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental-Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University.
authors.forename: Jan R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Wiersema
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University.
authors.forename: Tom
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-7783-4754
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Verguts
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental-Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University.
authors.forename: Roos
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gasthuys
authors.forename: Jacob J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: van der Meere
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Developmental Neuropsychology, University of Groningen.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Achten
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental-Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University.
authors.forename: Herbert
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-4895-583X
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Roeyers
authors.affiliation: Developmental Brain-Behaviour Unit, School of Psychology, University of Southampton.
authors.forename: Edmund
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sonuga-Barke
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology*; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology; D055815:Young Adult