Assessing Neural Correlates of Attention Problems in Toddlers with fNIRS

• In Event: Poster Session 02
  In Poster Session: PS 02 Topic - Attention, Learning, Memory

Abstract

ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood. Children are most commonly diagnosed at 7 years old; however, parents often retrospectively report that symptoms began in the toddler years. Identifying neural markers that distinguish the emergence of ADHD in toddlers from normative development may provide important insights into the early development of ADHD, which is critical for early identification and prevention. We are conducting an ongoing study (data collection currently paused due to COVID-19) to examine prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation in toddlers with and without ADHD symptoms. Data collected thus far was used to answer two research questions: 1) What is the feasibility of assessing PFC activation using fNIRS with at-risk toddlers? 2) Are higher ADHD symptoms related to weaker PFC activation? To date, 19 children have participated. Toddlers completed two passive viewing tasks (Sam’s Puppies and the puzzle task) while fNIRS data were collected. “Sam’s Puppies” is a novel go/no-go task developed for this study in which children watched a character hug correct or incorrect animals while searching for puppies. The puzzle task is a modified version of Conejero et al.’s (2016) error monitoring task (previously used with EEG) in which children watched simple cartoon puzzles assembled correctly and incorrectly. Results supported the feasibility of fNIRS to assess neural activation during tasks designed to elicit PFC activity in toddlers. Of the 19 children who participated, 18 were able to complete the passive viewing tasks while wearing the fNIRS cap (1 refused). Preliminary data analyses (n’s differ per tasks due to the study’s pilot nature) revealed that ADHD symptoms in toddlers are correlated with PFC activation during these tasks. Specifically, during the passive viewing go/no go task (n = 9), children with higher ADHD symptoms showed lower right PFC activation during both correct (r = -.30, p = .44) and incorrect (r = -.47, p = .21) no-go conditions when the wrong animal (bird) was shown, accompanied by visual and auditory feedback. In contrast, children with higher ADHD symptoms showed higher activation during the go conditions (r = .80, p = .02) when the correct animal (puppy) was shown followed by positive visual and auditory feedback. During the error monitoring task (n = 13), higher ADHD symptoms were related to lower PFC activation when observing two types of puzzle task errors (r = -.63, p = .02; r = -.47, p = .10). Results suggest that collecting fNIRS data from toddlers, even hyperactive toddlers, is feasible. Toddlers with heightened ADHD symptoms show differences in neural activation when viewing errors, consistent with findings in older children. These preliminary data suggest that neural differences between children with and without ADHD may begin to emerge even in toddlerhood. Future longitudinal studies should examine whether these neural differences predict which children are at heightened risk for continued symptomatology. This study has implications for better understanding early neural correlates of attention development in toddlers.

Authors

• Hallie Brown, Weill Cornell Medicine
  Presenting Author

• Shannon Gair, University of Massachusetts Amherst
  Non-Presenting Author

• Sungha Kang, Loyola University Chicago
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jennifer Martin McDermott, University of Massachusetts Amherst
  Non-Presenting Author

• Elizabeth A Harvey, University of Massachusetts Amherst
  Non-Presenting Author

• Adam Grabell, University of Massachusetts Amherst
  Non-Presenting Author