Dynamic alterations in spontaneous neural activity in patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A resting-state fMRI study.

BACKGROUND

To investigate the change of dynamic amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (dALFF) and dynamic fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (dfALFF) in patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and to explore whether dALFF/dfALFF can be used to distinguish ADHD from health controls (HCs).

METHODS

Forty-eight cases of clinically confirmed ADHD and forty-four cases of HCs were included in the present study. It was compared to the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) and fractional ALFF (fALFF), as well as the dynamic indicators dALFF and dfALFF. We investigated the relationship between clinical and dynamic indicators, and additionally performed voxel-based functional connectivity (FC) analysis. Finally, we developed an auxiliary diagnosis model.

RESULTS

Brain regions with increased dALFF variability of ADHD were located in right middle frontal gyrus (MFG), left inferior parietal lobe (IPL) and superior parietal gyrus (SPG) compared with HCs. Meanwhile, increased dfALFF variability was also observed in left lingual gyrus (LING), right MFG and left middle occipital gyrus (MOG) in ADHD compared to HCs. Neuropsychological scale scores correlated with some dALFF and dfALFF indicators. Reduced FC was found between the left IPL and right cerebellum crus II in ADHD compared with HCs. With dALFF and dfALFF variability as features, we achieved a good area under the curve and an accurate classification.

CONCLUSION

This study offers new valuable insights into the cerebral dysfunction associated with ADHD from the standpoint of dynamic local brain activity. The understanding of dALFF/dfALFF variability can contribute to the comprehension of neurophysiological mechanisms and potentially aid in the diagnosis of ADHD.