Different Cortical Source Activation Patterns in Children with ADHD Using Boundary Element Method

Attention is one of the most attractive aspects of cognitive activity in the brain, and its evaluation in many disorders, such as Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity disorder, has been investigated. Several neurocognitive studies have indicated that children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) exhibit cognitive deficits in executive functions [1]; however, only a few electroencephalographic studies have investigated their deficiency in executive functions such as inhibition[2][3].The purpose of this study was to investigate the various patterns of brain activity of 15 children aged 6 to 12 (8.4 years old on the average) with hyperactivity disorder compared to 15 control children (9.2 years old on the average) while performing a GO/NOGO task using EEG. Method To achieve this goal, we used the Independent Component Analysis method for the analysis of brain-dependent potentials along with the use of mean model of children s MRI image in creating real head model using boundary element method and solving the forward problem. A 23-channel NeuroAmp device and a 19-channel electrode cap was used according to the 10-20 international standards to record the brain signals. In addition, the EOG signal, occurrence of stimuli and participant responses were recorded.Results With the use of mean model of children s MRI image in creating real head model in order to solve the Forward Problem using boundary element method in the IC space and then solving the Inverse Problem using the MNE method, we have tried to study patterns of brain activity in different P3 and N2 waves in this statistical society.Conclusions We found a significant difference in the mean of the P3 and N2 amplitudes between the two groups (p≤0.05). These results indicate electrophysiological evidence for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity disorder, executive function abnormalities and attention deficit disorders in children with ADHD, which can be used to evaluate children affected.