Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40100891›Full record

ArticlePloS one2025

Real-world goal-directed behavior reveals aberrant functional brain connectivity in children with ADHD.

Liya Merzon, Sofia Tauriainen, Ana Triana, Tarmo Nurmi, Hanna Huhdanpää, Minna Mannerkoski, Eeva T Aronen, Mikhail Kantonistov, Linda Henriksson, Emiliano Macaluso and 1 more

Abstract read
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Article in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Liya MerzonDepartment of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6063-6471
Sofia TauriainenDepartment of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland.
Ana TrianaDepartment of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland.
Tarmo NurmiDepartment of Computer Science, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland.
Hanna HuhdanpääChild Psychiatry, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
Minna MannerkoskiChild Psychiatry, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
Eeva T AronenChild Psychiatry, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
Mikhail KantonistovFaculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Linda HenrikssonDepartment of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland.
Emiliano MacalusoLyon Neuroscience Research Center, Lyon, France.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1919-5288
Juha SalmiDepartment of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Functional connectomics is a popular approach to investigate the neural underpinnings of developmental disorders of which attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent. Nonetheless, neuronal mechanisms driving the aberrant functional connectivity resulting in ADHD symptoms remain largely unclear. Whereas resting state activity reflecting intrinsic tonic background activity is only vaguely connected to behavioral effects, naturalistic neuroscience has provided means to measure phasic brain dynamics associated with overt manifestation of the symptoms. Here we collected functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data in three experimental conditions, an active virtual reality (VR) task where the participants execute goal-directed behaviors, a passive naturalistic Video Viewing task, and a standard Resting State condition. Thirty-nine children with ADHD and thirty-seven typically developing (TD) children participated in this preregistered study. Functional connectivity was examined with network-based statistics (NBS) and graph theoretical metrics. During the naturalistic VR task, the ADHD group showed weaker task performance and stronger functional connectivity than the TD group. Group differences in functional connectivity were observed in widespread brain networks: particularly subcortical areas showed hyperconnectivity in ADHD. More restricted group differences in functional connectivity were observed during the Video Viewing, and there were no group differences in functional connectivity in the Resting State condition. These observations were consistent across NBS and graph theoretical analyses, although NBS revealed more pronounced group differences. Furthermore, during the VR task and Video Viewing, functional connectivity in TD controls was associated with task performance during the measurement, while Resting State activity in TD controls was correlated with ADHD symptoms rated over six months. We conclude that overt expression of the symptoms is correlated with aberrant brain connectivity in ADHD. Furthermore, naturalistic paradigms where clinical markers can be coupled with simultaneously occurring brain activity may further increase the interpretability of psychiatric neuroimaging findings.

Indexed as

Attention Deficit Disorder with HyperactivityBrainGoalsNerve NetBrain MappingChildConnectomeFemaleHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleVirtual Reality

Identifiers

PMID40100891
PMCPMC11918399

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.