EEG Research

In an effort to better understand the relationship between spatial and temporal function within the brain, Dr. Hubbard is also affiliated with the following study:
A Study Comparing the Brain Function of Healthy and ADHD Adults During Rest and Go/NoGo Task in EEG/ERP and fMRI.

This study, authored by Cynthia Kerson, PhD, Leslie Sherlin, PhD, Estate Sokhadze, PhD, Rex Cannon, PhD and David Hubbard, MD, is cosponsored by the Hubbard Foundation and the ISNR Research Foundation, the research arm of the International Society for Neurofeedback and Research (ISNR). You can find more information about this study HERE.

We are looking for subjects for both the healthy and ADHD groups and are planning scan time at AFI during November 1-3, 2010. Please contact Cynthia Kerson at (415) 485-1344 or office@isnr.org to see if you or someone you know qualifies.

Abstract:

Discussion: The prevalence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is an estimated 4.1% in adults, second only to depression. Recently, several quantitative electroencephalographic (QEEG), event-related potential (ERP) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have been completed to examine electrophysiological and blood flow behaviors in adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). This study will utilize concomitant neuroimaging methodologies to examine the default mode network (DMN) in healthy and ADHD adults to ascertain differences during rest and Go/NoGo task. The DMN consists of twelve functionally related regions that are consistently shown increased in activity in an eyes-closed resting condition as compared to functionally specific cognitive tasks or eyes-opened resting condition. Recent data indicate dysfunction in right parietal areas in ADHD as compared to control. However, the strength of the temporal connections in EEG frequency domains has not been investigated in this population.

Objectives: This EEG/ERP/fMRI study proposes to correlate brain behavior from each neuroimaging method and elucidate functional connectivity patterns in the ADHD group during resting state (eyes open and eyes closed) and an active cognitive task. Recruitment of neural resources involving temporal correlations may provide important information about both attentional and self-regulatory processes in ADHD individuals as compared to healthy controls. These data may provide important information relating to potential biomarkers for ADHD as well as to increase the specificity of methods for neurotherapy treatment of ADHD. The data may also confirm that EEG is an adequate methodology to evaluate ADHD. Given the regional deficits shown in ADHD research we will examine the default network regions and their specific relationship with the bilateral anterior insular cortices. Numerous regions within the default network, especially left medial prefrontal and anterior medial regions are shown (assuming sources at or near the surface electrode F3, Fz, F7 contribute to the ERP average) to contribute many of the putative mechanisms found in ERP research (e.g., frontal NoGo-N2 and P3, Error-related Negativity, etc.).

Methods: In this study, we will recruit 16 subjects, (8 healthy and 8 ADHD adults). We will attempt to recruit an equal number of, age-similar males and females. The ADHD adults will be recruited through local clinicians and CHADD chapters. They will have been initially interviewed by phone and administered the Connors Adult ADHD Rating Scale Short Form (CAARS) and the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I) to determine accuracy of symptom reporting, and to rule out psychological comorbidities. Exclusion criteria will consist of previous head trauma, recent drug or alcohol abuse (14 days), or neurological syndromes. We will record sequential 19-channel EEG, ERP and fMRI during the eyes open and closed states and while performing the TOVA Go/NoGo continuous attention test. Eyes open and eyes closed states will be recorded for approximately 5 minutes. The TOVA test takes approximately 20 minutes to administer. The QEEG results will be evaluated with comparison to a normative database and with the standardized low-resolution electromagnetic tomography (eLORETA) analysis. Functional connectivity will be assessed using the seed-based approach in eLORETA. The fMRI results will be evaluated using Brain Voyager™ and other neuroimaging software packages.