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Preliminary report of familial clustering of EEG measures in ADHD
Author(s) -
Loo Sandra K.,
Smalley Susan L.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
american journal of medical genetics part b: neuropsychiatric genetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.393
H-Index - 126
eISSN - 1552-485X
pISSN - 1552-4841
DOI - 10.1002/ajmg.b.30575
Subject(s) - endophenotype , electroencephalography , audiology , psychology , cognition , alpha (finance) , correlation , sibling , continuous performance task , developmental psychology , neuroscience , medicine , psychometrics , internal consistency , mathematics , geometry
The purpose of the present study is to examine the familiality of electroencephalographic (EEG) measures among affected sibling pairs with Attention‐Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). EEG was recorded during baseline (eyes open and eyes closed) and cognitive activation conditions on a sample of 58 children with ADHD (27 multiplex families), ages 6–18. EEG power in three frequency bands: theta (4–7 Hz), alpha (8–12 Hz) and beta (12–20 Hz) was tested for sibling correlation, familial co‐segregation and association with behavioral task performance on a sustained attention task. Sibling correlation for EEG measures was moderate during baseline conditions and significantly higher for the cognitive activation condition. Familial clustering of frontal and parietal alpha power was evident, but only during the cognitive activation condition. Theta and alpha power correlated significantly with CPT response variability and omission errors, respectively. Cognitive task performance did not exhibit familial clustering in our sample. EEG measures (i.e., alpha power) recorded during cognitive activation is a strongly familial trait in ADHD and may be a putative endophenotype for ADHD. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.