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Resting-state EEG dynamics help explain differences in response control in ADHD: Insight into electrophysiological mechanisms and sex differences

Reductions in response control (greater reaction time variability and commission error rate) are consistently observed in those diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Previous research suggests these reductions arise from a dysregulation of large-scale cortical networks. Here, we extended our understanding of this cortical-network/response-control pathway important to the neurobiology of ADHD. First, we assessed how dynamic changes in three resting-state EEG network properties thought to be relevant to ADHD (phase-synchronization, modularity, oscillatory power) covaried with response control during a simple perceptual decision-making task in 112 children/adolescents (aged 8-16) with and without formal ADHD diagnoses. Second, we tested whether these associations differed in males and females who were matched in age, ADHD-status and ADHD-subtype. We found that changes in oscillatory power (as opposed to phase-synchrony and modularity) are most related with response control, and that this relationship is stronger in ADHD compared to controls. Specifically, a tendency to dwell in an electrophysiological state characterized by high alpha/beta power (8-12/13-30Hz) and low delta/theta power (1-3/4-7Hz) supported response control, particularly in those with ADHD. Time in this state might reflect an increased initiation of alpha-suppression mechanisms, recruited by those with ADHD to suppress processing unfavourable to response control. We also found marginally significant evidence that this relationship is stronger in males compared to females, suggesting a distinct etiology for response control in the female presentation of ADHD. Highlights - Hidden Markov modeling of EEG functional network properties in ADHD and controls. - EEG power dynamics, not phase-synchrony or modularity, covary with response control. - Association between EEG dynamics and response control is more pronounced in ADHD. - ADHD cortical-network/response-control pathway is more prominent in males vs. females.