English
 
Help Privacy Policy Disclaimer
  Advanced SearchBrowse

Item

ITEM ACTIONSEXPORT
Add to Basket
  Local TagsRelease HistoryDetailsSummary

Released
Journal Article

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in childhood epilepsy: a neuropsychological and functional imaging study

MPS-Authors
/persons/resource/persons84187

Scheffler,  K
Department High-Field Magnetic Resonance, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Max Planck Society;
Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Max Planck Society;

External Resource

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1528-1167.2011.03377.x/pdf
(Publisher version)

Fulltext (restricted access)
There are currently no full texts shared for your IP range.
Fulltext (public)
There are no public fulltexts stored in PuRe
Supplementary Material (public)
There is no public supplementary material available
Citation

Bechtel, N., Kobel, M., Penner, I.-K., Specht, K., Klarhöfer, M., Scheffler, K., et al. (2012). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in childhood epilepsy: a neuropsychological and functional imaging study. Epilepsia, 53(2), 325-333. doi:10.1111/j.1528-1167.2011.03377.x.


Cite as: https://hdl.handle.net/11858/00-001M-0000-0013-B818-3
Abstract
Purpose:  Children with epilepsy have a significant risk for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which is often accompanied by deficits in working memory performance. However, it is not yet clear whether there are specific differences in the underlying mechanisms of working memory capability between children with epilepsy-related ADHD and those with developmental ADHD. There is evidence that methylphenidate can improve the behavioral difficulties in children with developmental ADHD. Whether this medication has the same effect on ADHD symptoms in patients with epilepsy is not yet well understood. The aim of the present study is, therefore, to evaluate whether boys with epilepsy-related ADHD and developmental ADHD share a common behavioral, pharmacoresponsive, and neurofunctional pathophysiology. Methods:  Seventeen boys with diagnosed combined epilepsy/ADHD, 15 boys with developmental ADHD, and 15 healthy controls (aged 8–14 years) performed on working memory tasks (N-back) while brain activation was recorded using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Each patient was tested twice: once after the intake of methylphenidate and once without in a counterbalanced order. Key Findings:  On a behavioral level, we show that boys with epilepsy-related ADHD as well as those with developmental ADHD performed similarly poorly on tasks with high cognitive load when compared to healthy controls, and that intake of methylphenidate improved performance almost to normal levels in both ADHD groups. On the functional level, both patient groups showed similar reductions of activation in all relevant parts of the functional network of working memory when compared to controls. Of interest, intake of methylphenidate did not significantly alter this activity pattern. Significance:  Our data show strong similarities between epilepsy-related and developmental ADHD on the behavioral, pharmacoresponsive, and neural level, favoring the view that ADHD with and without epilepsy shares a common underlying neurobehavioral pathophysiology.