Executive function and neural oscillations in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a childhood-onset neurobiological disorder that often persists into adulthood. Adult ADHD is an important public health concern due to its great social damage and challenges in clinical recognition, resulting in a significant disease burden. Nonethe...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Neuroscience |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2025.1617307/full |
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| author | Ziyao Su Ziyao Su Yingtan Wang Yingtan Wang Bin Wang Bin Wang Chuanliang Han Haoran Zhang Haoran Zhang Yanyan Gu Yanyan Gu Yu Chen Yu Chen Xixi Zhao Xixi Zhao Yuwei Shi |
| author_facet | Ziyao Su Ziyao Su Yingtan Wang Yingtan Wang Bin Wang Bin Wang Chuanliang Han Haoran Zhang Haoran Zhang Yanyan Gu Yanyan Gu Yu Chen Yu Chen Xixi Zhao Xixi Zhao Yuwei Shi |
| author_sort | Ziyao Su |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a childhood-onset neurobiological disorder that often persists into adulthood. Adult ADHD is an important public health concern due to its great social damage and challenges in clinical recognition, resulting in a significant disease burden. Nonetheless, the diagnosis of adult ADHD remains challenging due to the absence of specific symptoms and biological markers. The aims of this systematic review were as follows: (1) To discern whether there were any differences in resting-state electroencephalogram (EEG) and event related potential (ERP) between adult ADHD and healthy controls (HCs). (2) To ascertain whether ERP specific manifestations associated with executive function (EF) deficiencies. (3) To conduct an exploration into the mechanisms of specific electrophysiologic alterations. This review was conducted in PubMed-Medline and Web-of-Science from 1971 to August 15th, 2024 to summarize the EEG changes of adult ADHD. We focused on resting-state EEG to report spectral power across different frequency bands and ERPs under different experimental tasks, 68 studies were finally included. When studying the characteristics of resting-state EEG in adult ADHD patients, we observed that theta power exhibits a consistent upward trend. Congruous reduction Pe, P3, and N2 amplitudes during response inhibition tasks, with a further decrease in P3 and N2 amplitudes in sustained attention tasks. These EEG changes may stem from impairments in error detection, cognitive control, and attention allocation, meaning that core EFs are affected in adults with ADHD. Overall, consistent changes in resting-state EEG and ERPs could provide insight for the identification of ADHD in adults. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c7da8ed3b30b42e0b0bae522c2534bbd |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 1662-453X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj-art-c7da8ed3b30b42e0b0bae522c2534bbd2025-07-15T05:25:00ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neuroscience1662-453X2025-07-011910.3389/fnins.2025.16173071617307Executive function and neural oscillations in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a systematic reviewZiyao Su0Ziyao Su1Yingtan Wang2Yingtan Wang3Bin Wang4Bin Wang5Chuanliang Han6Haoran Zhang7Haoran Zhang8Yanyan Gu9Yanyan Gu10Yu Chen11Yu Chen12Xixi Zhao13Xixi Zhao14Yuwei Shi15The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, ChinaBeijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & National Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, ChinaBeijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & National Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, ChinaAdvanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, ChinaBeijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & National Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, ChinaAdvanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, ChinaSchool of Biomedical Sciences and Gerald Choa Neuroscience Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, ChinaBeijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & National Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, ChinaAdvanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, ChinaBeijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & National Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, ChinaAdvanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, ChinaBeijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & National Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, ChinaAdvanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, ChinaBeijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & National Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, ChinaAdvanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, ChinaThe Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, ChinaAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a childhood-onset neurobiological disorder that often persists into adulthood. Adult ADHD is an important public health concern due to its great social damage and challenges in clinical recognition, resulting in a significant disease burden. Nonetheless, the diagnosis of adult ADHD remains challenging due to the absence of specific symptoms and biological markers. The aims of this systematic review were as follows: (1) To discern whether there were any differences in resting-state electroencephalogram (EEG) and event related potential (ERP) between adult ADHD and healthy controls (HCs). (2) To ascertain whether ERP specific manifestations associated with executive function (EF) deficiencies. (3) To conduct an exploration into the mechanisms of specific electrophysiologic alterations. This review was conducted in PubMed-Medline and Web-of-Science from 1971 to August 15th, 2024 to summarize the EEG changes of adult ADHD. We focused on resting-state EEG to report spectral power across different frequency bands and ERPs under different experimental tasks, 68 studies were finally included. When studying the characteristics of resting-state EEG in adult ADHD patients, we observed that theta power exhibits a consistent upward trend. Congruous reduction Pe, P3, and N2 amplitudes during response inhibition tasks, with a further decrease in P3 and N2 amplitudes in sustained attention tasks. These EEG changes may stem from impairments in error detection, cognitive control, and attention allocation, meaning that core EFs are affected in adults with ADHD. Overall, consistent changes in resting-state EEG and ERPs could provide insight for the identification of ADHD in adults.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2025.1617307/fulladult ADHDelectroencephalographresting-stateevent related potentialneural oscillation |
| spellingShingle | Ziyao Su Ziyao Su Yingtan Wang Yingtan Wang Bin Wang Bin Wang Chuanliang Han Haoran Zhang Haoran Zhang Yanyan Gu Yanyan Gu Yu Chen Yu Chen Xixi Zhao Xixi Zhao Yuwei Shi Executive function and neural oscillations in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review Frontiers in Neuroscience adult ADHD electroencephalograph resting-state event related potential neural oscillation |
| title | Executive function and neural oscillations in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review |
| title_full | Executive function and neural oscillations in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review |
| title_fullStr | Executive function and neural oscillations in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Executive function and neural oscillations in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review |
| title_short | Executive function and neural oscillations in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review |
| title_sort | executive function and neural oscillations in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder a systematic review |
| topic | adult ADHD electroencephalograph resting-state event related potential neural oscillation |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2025.1617307/full |
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