AUTHOR=Wu Ting , Liu Xiaoli , Cheng Fang , Wang Shuai , Li Chang , Zhou Dongsheng , Zhang Wenwu 

TITLE=Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex dysfunction caused by a go/no-go task in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neuroscience

VOLUME=17

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.1145485

DOI=10.3389/fnins.2023.1145485

ISSN=1662-453X

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Background</title><p>Children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) exhibit executive function deficits, which can be attributed to a dysfunction in the prefrontal region of the brain. Our study aims to evaluate the alteration of brain activity in children with ADHD during the administration of a go/no-go task using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in comparison to a control group containing typically developing (TD) children.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>32 children with ADHD and 31 of their TD peers were recruited and asked to perform a go/no-go task while undergoing measurements, with the aim of detecting changes in average oxygenated hemoglobin signaling (Δavg oxy-Hb) <italic>via</italic> fNIRS in the prefrontal lobe.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>fNIRS data showed significant differences between the left and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortices, with a lower Δavg oxy-Hb change in the ADHD group compared to the TD group.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>Our results indicate that brain dysfunction in children with ADHD is related to functional impairments in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The go/no-go task paired with fNIRS represents a useful measurement tool to assess prefrontal brain dysfunction in children struggling with ADHD.</p></sec>