Quantitative EEG analysis in dexamphetamine-responsive adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) is recognized as a disorder affecting children and adolescents and has more recently been documented to continue into adulthood in a proportion of patients. One of the common treatments for AD/HD is the use of stimulant medications. Numerous studies have examined the therapeutic effects of stimulant medications in children, adolescents and adults with the disorder, reporting improvements in attention, concentration, and hyperactive and impulsive behaviours.

Specificity of quantitative EEG analysis in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents is characterised by excessive restlessness and an extremely poor concentration span, resulting in impulsive and disruptive behaviour. Clinical observation of ADHD in adults suggests that the early hyperactivity is diminished in terms of its impact on social and academic function, while impulsive-type behaviours remain unchanged. EEG studies in children and adolescents with ADHD have reported significantly more low-frequency power (predominantly theta) and less high-frequency power (predominantly beta) than in normal subjects.