Neural Oscillation Features of ADHD Symptoms in Children: EEG Evidence from Resting State and Oddball Task

The current study examined resting-state and event-related neural oscillations associated with ADHD symptoms in children aged 6-12. 77 children were assessed using the Integrated Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Test (IVA-CPT) and EEG during resting-state. A group of these children also completed a classic visual oddball task. Key findings include increased relative delta activity at left parietal electrodes during eyes-open and decreased relative theta activity at left posterior electrodes during eyes-closed, both associated with poor attention. Increased beta activity at right parieto-occipital electrodes during eyes-open and increased alpha activity at bilateral posterior electrodes during eyes-closed were associated with poor response control. In addition, the power of the P3 component was negatively correlated with attention across most frequency bands and conditions, except for delta power in the standard condition. Furthermore, combining multiple metrics, especially resting-state EEG oscillations, event-related oscillations, and parental ratings, provided a more robust prediction. The current study identified important brain regions and frequency bands related to ADHD symptoms, offering new insights for multi-metric prediction and clinical guidance.