Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, United States.
Department of Psychology, University of Richmond, United States.
Dev Cogn Neurosci. 2021 Apr;48:100931. doi: 10.1016/j.dcn.2021.100931. Epub 2021 Jan 29.
Efficient information processing facilitates cognition and may be disrupted in a number of neurodevelopmental conditions. And yet, the role of inefficient information processing and its neural underpinnings remains poorly understood. In the current study, we examined the cognitive and behavioral correlates of the aperiodic exponent of the electroencephalogram (EEG) power spectrum, a putative marker of disrupted, inefficient neural communication, in a sample of adolescents with and without ADHD (n = 184 n = 87; M = 13.95 years, SD = 1.36). Exponents were calculated via FOOOF (Donoghue et al., 2020a) from EEG data recorded during an 8-minute baseline episode. Reaction time speed and variability, as well as drift diffusion parameters (including the drift rate parameter, a cognitive parameter directly related to inefficient information processing) were calculated. Adolescents with ADHD had smaller aperiodic exponents (a "flattened" EEG power spectrum) relative to their typically-developing peers. After controlling for ADHD, aperiodic exponents were related to reaction time variability and the drift rate parameter, but not in the expected direction. Our findings lend support for the aperiodic exponent as a neural correlate of disrupted information processing, and provide insight into the role of cortical excitation/inhibition imbalance in the pathophysiology of ADHD.
有效的信息处理有助于认知，而在许多神经发育状况下，信息处理可能会受到干扰。然而，信息处理效率低下及其神经基础的作用仍未得到充分理解。在本研究中，我们在一组患有和未患有 ADHD 的青少年样本中（n = 184，n = 87；M = 13.95 岁，SD = 1.36），检查了脑电图（EEG）功率谱的非周期性指数（aperiodic exponent）与认知和行为的相关性，该指数是一种神经通讯紊乱和低效的潜在标志物。通过 FOOOF（Donoghue 等人，2020a）从记录的 8 分钟基线期间的 EEG 数据中计算出指数。计算了反应时速度和变异性，以及漂移扩散参数（包括漂移率参数，这是一个与低效信息处理直接相关的认知参数）。患有 ADHD 的青少年的非周期性指数（“平坦”的 EEG 功率谱）相对其正常发育的同龄人较小。在控制 ADHD 后，非周期性指数与反应时变异性和漂移率参数相关，但与预期的方向相反。我们的发现为非周期性指数作为信息处理紊乱的神经相关物提供了支持，并深入了解了皮质兴奋/抑制失衡在 ADHD 病理生理学中的作用。
