Pupillary unrest is attenuated in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

IF 2.5 4区医学 Q3 NEUROSCIENCES Neuroscience Letters Pub Date : 2025-02-04 DOI:10.1016/j.neulet.2025.138148

Claudio M. Privitera , Sean Noah , Thom Carney , Stanley A. Klein , Agatha Lenartowicz , Stephen P. Hinshaw , James T. McCracken , Joel T. Nigg , Sarah L. Karalunas , Rory C. Reid , Mercedes Oliva , Samantha S. Betts , Gregory V. Simpson

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

We investigated the phenomenon of pupillary unrest in individuals with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) compared to neurotypical controls. We measured the power of low-frequency pupil oscillations under two experimental conditions: a passive condition with minimal distraction and a resting condition with no distraction. The study included 76 adult participants (42 controls and 34 with ADHD) aged 18–40. The results show that individuals with ADHD exhibit reduced power in pupillary oscillations, suggesting a suppression of general catecholaminergic activity. The nature of the experiment indicates that this suppression is endemic in the background and independent of the visual task or the ongoing cognitive effort. This finding is consistent with our previous observations of reduced pupil dilations in ADHD during active tasks [1] and provide basic insights for future research aimed at developing and refining a psychophysical paradigm that could serve as a biomarker to enhance ADHD evaluation and classification.

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来源期刊

Neuroscience Letters 医学-神经科学

CiteScore

5.20

自引率

0.00%

发文量

408

审稿时长

50 days

期刊介绍： Neuroscience Letters is devoted to the rapid publication of short, high-quality papers of interest to the broad community of neuroscientists. Only papers which will make a significant addition to the literature in the field will be published. Papers in all areas of neuroscience - molecular, cellular, developmental, systems, behavioral and cognitive, as well as computational - will be considered for publication. Submission of laboratory investigations that shed light on disease mechanisms is encouraged. Special Issues, edited by Guest Editors to cover new and rapidly-moving areas, will include invited mini-reviews. Occasional mini-reviews in especially timely areas will be considered for publication, without invitation, outside of Special Issues; these un-solicited mini-reviews can be submitted without invitation but must be of very high quality. Clinical studies will also be published if they provide new information about organization or actions of the nervous system, or provide new insights into the neurobiology of disease. NSL does not publish case reports.