http://www.biologicalpsychiatryjournal.com/article/S0006-3223(13)00776-2/abstract
University of Amsterdam Professor Ali Mazaheri and UC Davis researchers used EEG to discover a potential subtype differentiating biomarker in ADHD.
The study was conducted in 57 children between 12 and 17 years, 23 without ADHD and 17 participants in each of the inattentive- and combined-type groups. The collaborative study was conducted between 2009 and 2013 by the UC Davis Center for MIND and Brain and UC Davis MIND Institute.
The teens’ brain waves were assessed using EEG caps with 32 electrodes during evaluations of their performance on a computer task in which they received visual cues that could help aide their performance. Some cues were more helpful than others, so the task required the participants to sometimes override an initial impulse in order to respond correctly. Such situations are particularly challenging for people with ADHD.
The researchers found that the teens with the type whose primary symptom is inattentiveness exhibited different brainwave patterns from those whose symptoms include hyperactivity and impulsivity.
According to UC Davis Professor Catherine Fassbender, “Most treatments for ADHD do not take subtype differences into account. Our findings suggest targets for treatment should differ for the ADHD inattentive versus combined subtypes, and that advanced analysis of brain waves may provide a biomarker for testing treatment responses.”
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