Event-Related Potentials (ERP) in the Diagnosis and Treatment of ADHD and ASD: Towards Personalized Neuropsychology

Among the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in children and adolescents are Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). These conditions significantly affect daily functioning, hindering learning, social relationships, and emotional development. In recent years, modern neurotechnologies—particularly the analysis of Event-Related Potentials (ERP)—have gained increasing importance in the diagnosis of these disorders, enabling more precise identification of neurophysiological deficits and, consequently, more effective therapeutic planning. ERPs represent a sensitive, non-invasive method for detecting subtle impairments in cognitive control, attention, and social processing—often invisible in standard behavioral assessments. This review discusses the diagnostic and therapeutic applications of selected ERP components, such as P3cue, P3GO, P3NOGO, CNV, N170, and N400, with particular emphasis on their relevance in identifying ADHD and ASD. Based on data from the cued GO/NOGO paradigm, distinct ERP patterns were observed: reduced P3NOGO amplitude and delayed CNV onset in ADHD, as well as atypical N170 and P3cue responses in ASD, reflecting deficits in inhibitory control and social cognition, respectively. A clinical case of a 21-year-old female patient with ADHD is also presented. Despite the absence of behavioral deficits, ERP analysis revealed a selective reduction in the early P3NOGO component. This finding was confirmed by comparison with the normative Human Brain Index (HBI) database. Source localization and independent component analysis indicated altered frontal cortex activation, which guided the implementation of targeted neuromodulatory intervention using transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS). These results underscore the value of ERPs in personalized neuropsychology, supporting early diagnosis, therapy monitoring, and neuromodulation strategies tailored to individual neurophysiological profiles.