ABSTRACT
Introduction:
ADHD probably affects more than 50% of schoolchildren, yet although characteristics such as inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsiveness are clear, electrophysiological brain behavior during motor activity is not fully understood.
Objective:
To investigate alpha, beta, and SMR band patterns on the EEG in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) during attention-demanding motor skills tasks.
Methods:
Fourteen children with a mean age of 9.64±1.74 years divided into diagnosed and undiagnosed with ADHD underwent an EEG at rest and during task performance with attentional demand. Alpha, SMR and beta waves were observed on the EEG. Data were evaluated using the Shapiro-Wilk test in order to determine data normality. ONE WAY ANOVA and Tukey's post hoc tests were used to determine intragroup and intergroup differences, and the Pearson (r) and Spearman (p) correlations were used to determine correlations. All treatments had a significance of 5%.
Results:
The ADHD and N-ADHD groups showed no difference in cortical alpha, beta and SMR bands at rest, but there were differences in cortical behavior during activity. The cortical activity correlation coefficient (0.30) differed from undiagnosed children (0.70).
Conclusion:
The ADHD group had a low correlation coefficient between rest and activity, contrary to the N-ADHD group. In the intergroup comparison, ADHD had higher alpha, beta and SMR band output power during the same high attentional task when compared with N-ADHD. Level of Evidence III.
Keywords:
Electroencephalography; Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder; Attention
