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Diminished modulation of preparatory sensorimotor mu rhythm predicts attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder severity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2017

N. ter Huurne ,
D. Lozano-Soldevilla ,
M. Onnink ,
C. Kan ,
J. Buitelaar  and
O. Jensen
N. ter Huurne*
Affiliation:
Karakter Child and Adolescent Psychiatry University Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
D. Lozano-Soldevilla
Affiliation:
Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
M. Onnink
Affiliation:
Department of Human Genetics, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
C. Kan
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
J. Buitelaar
Affiliation:
Karakter Child and Adolescent Psychiatry University Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
O. Jensen
Affiliation:
Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
*
*Address for correspondence: N. ter Huurne, Karakter Child and Adolescent Psychiatry University Centre, Reinier Postlaan 12, 6526 GC Nijmegen, The Netherlands. (Email: nielsterhuurne@gmail.com)
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Abstract

Background

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterized by problems in regulating attention and in suppressing disruptive motor activity, i.e. hyperactivity and impulsivity. We recently found evidence that aberrant distribution of posterior α band oscillations (8–12 Hz) is associated with attentional problems in ADHD. The sensorimotor cortex also produces strong 8–12 Hz band oscillations, namely the μ rhythm, and is thought to have a similar inhibitory function. Here, we now investigate whether problems in distributing α band oscillations in ADHD generalize to the μ rhythm in the sensorimotor domain.

Method

In a group of adult ADHD (n = 17) and healthy control subjects (n = 18; aged 21–40 years) oscillatory brain activity was recorded using magnetoencephalography during a visuo-spatial attention task. Subjects had to anticipate a target with unpredictable timing and respond by pressing a button.

Results

Preparing a motor response, the ADHD group failed to increase hemispheric μ lateralization with relatively higher μ power in sensorimotor regions not engaged in the task, as the controls did (F1,33 = 8.70, p = 0.006). Moreover, the ADHD group pre-response μ lateralization not only correlated positively with accuracy (r s = 0.64, p = 0.0052) and negatively with intra-individual reaction time variability (r s = −0.52, p = 0.033), but it also correlated negatively with the score on an ADHD rating scale (r s = −0.53, p = 0.028).

Conclusions

We suggest that ADHD is associated with an inability to sufficiently inhibit task-irrelevant sensorimotor areas by means of modulating μ oscillatory activity. This could explain disruptive motor activity in ADHD. These results provide further evidence that impaired modulation of α band oscillations is involved in the pathogenesis of ADHD.

Keywords

Alpha activityattention-deficit/hyperactivity disorderinhibitionmagnetoencephalographymu rhythm

Information

Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 47 , Issue 11 , August 2017 , pp. 1947 - 1956
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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