Elsevier

Clinical Neurophysiology

Volume 127, Issue 10, October 2016, Pages 3277-3287
Clinical Neurophysiology

Single-dose effects on the P3no-go ERP component predict clinical response to stimulants in pediatric ADHD

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinph.2016.07.011Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • 87 ADHD patients were ERP-tested twice; test 2 on stimulant medication; followed by 4 weeks clinical trial.

  • After the trial they were classified as responders (REs) or non-responders (non-REs).

  • REs and non-REs differed significantly in their single-dose responses on the P3no-go (d = 1.76), suggesting utility of P3no-go ERP in predicting treatment response.

Abstract

Objective

Approximately 30% of children and adolescents diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and treated with stimulants are considered non-responders (non-REs). Reliable predictors of response are missing. We examined changes in Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) induced by a single dose of stimulant medication in order to predict later clinical response.

Methods

ERPs were registered twice during performance of a visual cued go/no-go task in 87 ADHD patients (27 girls) aged 8–18 years; the second recording on a single dose of stimulant medication, followed by a systematic medication trial lasting 4 weeks. Based on the four-week trial, participants were categorized as responders (REs, N = 62) or non-REs (N = 25). Changes among REs and non-REs in ERP components (cueP3, CNV, P3go, N2no-go, P3no-go) and behavioral-test variables were then compared.

Results

REs and non-REs differed significantly in medication-induced changes in P3no-go, cue-P3, CNV, omission errors, reaction time, and reaction-time variability. The largest effect size was found for P3no-go amplitude (p < .001; d = 1.76). Changes in P3no-go and omission errors correctly classified 90% of the REs and 76% of the non-REs, when controlling for the age of the participants.

Conclusion

Clinical response to stimulants can be predicted by assessing single-dose changes in the P3no-go ERP component amplitude.

Significance

Changes in P3no-go may be a clinically useful marker of response to stimulants.

Keywords

ADHD
Stimulants
Single-dose-changes
Predictions
ERPs
P3no-go

Cited by (0)

ClinicalTrials.gov. Identifier: NCT02695355.