Sustained attention task-related changes of functional connectivity in children with ADHD

Electroencephalography (EEG) has been widely used for the search of robust biomarkers to characterize neurodevelopmental disorders, such as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Besides the classical spectral measures, brain functional connectivity is emerging in the last years and ADHD has been associated with brain network abnormalities with respect to normally developing children. Such a finding has been obtained and reproduced mainly during resting-state periods, thus the changing network patterns during cognitive task are still unexplored. In this study, we used the imaginary part of the coherence (ImCoh) connectivity measure and graph analysis approach on EEG to explore the functional connectivity changes during a Conners’ “not-X” continuous performance test (CPT) in a group of ADHD and healthy children. The changes in the network properties were assessed with respect to a baseline period. Results supported the role of theta and beta rhythms in attention and focus while suggesting a less efficient network integration in ADHD children.