Neurophysiology of Adult Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Electrophysiological studies in adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) patients are still very sparse. Therefore, the first part of the chapter shortly reviews quantitative EEG (qEEG) as well as event-related potential (ERP) studies in children with ADHD. Basically, ADHD children are characterized by a slowing in their qEEG frequencies and by longer latencies and smaller amplitudes in some (but not all) of the ERP components. Generally, neurophysiological impairments described in the few studies on adult ADHD patients are very similar to those of children with ADHD, while others change with age and, therefore, might present a developmental perspective. A promising approach for future studies may be the search for distinct subtypes or endophenotypes in ADHD which can be detected with the help of EEG parameters. This strategy may be useful for the development of more individualized and efficient treatments.