Attentional biomarkers in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are difficult to detect using only behavioural testing. We explored whether attention measured by a low-cost EEG system might be helpful to detect a possible disorder at its earliest stages. The GokEvolution application was designed to train attention and to provide a measure to identify attentional problems in children early on. Attention changes registered with NeuroSky MindWave in combination with the CARAS-R psychological test were used to characterise the attentional profiles of 52 non-ADHD and 23 ADHD children aged 7 to 12 years old. The analyses revealed that the GokEvolution was valuable in measuring attention through its use of EEG–BCI technology. The ADHD group showed lower levels of attention and more variability in brain attentional responses when compared to the control group. The application was able to map the low attention profiles of the ADHD group when compared to the control group and could distinguish between participants who completed the task and those who did not. Therefore, this system could potentially be used in clinical settings as a screening tool for early detection of attentional traits in order to prevent their development.
Sign and goal tracker animals show different behavioral patterns in response to conditioned stimuli, which may be driven by different neural circuits involved in processing stimuli. Here, we explored whether sign and goal-tracker profiles implicated different brain regions and responses to incentive salience of stimuli. We performed three experiments using male Wistar rats. Experiment 1 showed that lesioning the medial prefrontal cortex increased the prevalence of the goal-tracker phenotype. Experiment 2 assessed the developmental trajectory of the salience incentive attribution to a conditioned stimulus, showing that increased incentive salience of stimuli increased the prevalence of the sign-tracker phenotype in mature, but not preadolescent rats. In experiment 3, the functional impact of the medial prefrontal cortex circuits was analyzed with a latent inhibition procedure. Sign tracker rats showed a reduced latent inhibition to stimuli previously exposed when compared to goal tracker or intermediate rats. The overall results of this study highlight a key role of the medial prefrontal cortex for sign tracking behavior. The expression of sign and goal tracker phenotypes changed after lesion to the medial prefrontal cortex (experiment 1), differed across development (experiment 2), and showed differences in the attentional processes to previously exposed stimuli, as preexposure to CS was ineffective in sign tracker animals (experiment 3). These data indicate that the responses to the incentive salience of stimuli in sign tracker and goal tracker profiles are likely driven by different neural circuitry, with a different role of prefrontal cortical function.
An attention disturbance is a problem that affects many school-aged children. The assessment in children is usually report-based, and as a result, controversy surrounds the diagnosis. To solve this issue, the aim of this study was to develop a new tool to detect possible attention-related problems and impulsive behavior in 4- and 5-year-old children. This tool was developed as an Android app and could be used to provide an early indicator of possible future development problems. A sample of 103 children (48 girls and 55 boys) was randomly selected from primary schools and assessed by Pinky-Piggy, a videogame application based on a classical paradigm in experimental psychology. Data from this app were compared with a Child Neuropsychological Maturity Questionnaire. The subjects displayed different patterns of response to play a very simple game called Pinky-Piggy. The application discriminated between high-responders and low responders. The results showed a relationship between these two profiles and the levels of attention and neurodevelopment in each group. The tool could identify different types of profiles and demonstrated its potential to evaluate endophenotypes to predict attentional problems related to impulsive behavior. Additionally, it required less time and fewer tests to identify possible at-risk populations, thus assisting in clinical diagnosis.
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