Brain–Behavior Relationships in Children With ADHD: Resting‐state EEG Networks Underlying Executive Function and Neurological Soft Signs
BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR, vol.16, no.8, pp.1-26, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Publication Type: Article / Article
- Volume: 16 Issue: 8
- Publication Date: 2026
- Doi Number: 10.1002/brb3.71698
- Journal Name: BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR
- Journal Indexes: Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Health Research Premium Collection (ProQuest), Scopus, Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), EMBASE, MEDLINE, Directory of Open Access Journals
- Page Numbers: pp.1-26
- Open Archive Collection: AVESIS Open Access Collection
- Hacettepe University Affiliated: Yes
Abstract
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/brb3.71698
ABSTRACT
Purpose: To investigate sex-stratified brain–behavior relationships between large-scale functional brain network topology andexecutive-motor profiles in pediatric ADHD, using a multi-dimensional parameter exploration approach.
Method: Graph-theoretical connectivity measures were derived from resting-state EEG in 41 medication-naïve children withADHD (10 girls) and 42 healthy controls (HCs) (10 girls), aged 6–12 years. Sex-specific within- and between-group differenceswere examined across temporal windows (1-2-4 s), frequency bands, and network densities (10%–30%). Associations betweenconnectivity measures and behavioral/clinical profiles (Stroop, PANESS, Turgay DSM-IV scales) were also assessed.
Findings: Directed Transfer Function showed more reliable predictions than phase-sensitive estimators. ADHD-girls showedlower local connectivity, and HC-girls showed higher integration/segregation in within-group gender differences in lower alphaat sparse network densities (10%–15%). Network alterations and meaningful brain-behavioral relationships were limited to upperalpha and beta at denser network configurations (20%–30%) in ADHD-girls. Total gait/station was negatively correlated withintegration in HC, positively correlated with hub-to-hub organization in ADHD. The edge-level differences were localized at rightcentro-temporal locations (FC6-T8) in boys, while the fewer and weaker differences were localized at antero-posterior, occipital-centric connections converging onto AF3 locus in girls.
Conclusion: The density-dependent emergence of brain–behavior correlations in girls offers a plausible network-levelexplanation for the diagnostic camouflage effect reported in females with ADHD. Pediatric ADHD manifests through sex-specific network reconfigurations, a right-hemispheric inhibitory-circuit deficit in boys versus an antero-posterior sensory-gating alterations in girls.