title: Normalisation of frontal theta activity following methylphenidate treatment in adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
abstract: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with cognitive performance and functional brain changes that are sensitive to task conditions, indicating a role for dynamic impairments rather than stable cognitive deficits. Prominent hypotheses consistent with this observation are a failure to optimise brain arousal or activation states. Here we investigate cortical activation during different conditions. Using a sample of 41 non-comorbid adults with ADHD and 48 controls, we examine quantitative EEG activity during a resting state, a cued continuous performance test with flankers (CPT-OX) and the sustained attention to response task (SART). We further investigate the effects of methylphenidate in a subsample of 21 ADHD cases. Control participants showed a task-related increase in theta activity when engaged in cognitive tasks, primarily in frontal and parietal regions, which was absent in participants with ADHD. Treatment with methylphenidate resulted in normalisation of the resting state to task activation pattern. These findings suggest that ADHD in adults is associated with insufficient allocation of neuronal resources required for normal cortical activation commensurate with task demands. Further work is required to clarify the causal role of the deficit in cortical activation and provide a clearer understanding of the mechanisms involved.
authors.affiliation: Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, London, UK. Electronic address: c.skirrow@ucl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Skirrow
authors.affiliation: Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, London, UK. Electronic address: grainne.mcloughlin@kcl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Grainne
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: McLoughlin
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Germany. Electronic address: tobias.banaschewski@zi-mannheim.de.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Banaschewski
authors.affiliation: Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, London, UK; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Germany. Electronic address: brandeis@kjpd.uzh.ch.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brandeis
authors.affiliation: Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, London, UK. Electronic address: jonna.kuntsi@kcl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Jonna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kuntsi
authors.affiliation: Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, London, UK. Electronic address: philip.asherson@kcl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Asherson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003463:Cues; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008774:Methylphenidate / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects; D013826:Theta Rhythm / Q000187:drug effects*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D008774:Methylphenidate
keywords: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; Methylphenidate; Quantitative EEG