Age-Related Changes in Auditory Nogo-N200 Latency in Medication-Naïve Children and Adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

Objective: Event-related potential (ERP) changes with brain development in healthy children and adolescents. However, few studies have focused on age-related changes in the N200 and P300 components among individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Therefore, this study aimed to assess age-related differences in the auditory nogo-N200 components in individuals with ADHD.

Methods: We enrolled 46 participants with auditory nogo-N200 and nogo-P300 components. We assessed ADHD symptoms using the Advanced Test of Attention (ATA) and Korean ADHD Rating Scale-IV (K-ARS-IV). Moreover, we assessed emotional and behavioral problems using the Korean Child Behavior Checklist (K-CBCL). Further, we measured auditory ERPs.

Results: There were no differences with respect to sex or ATA, K-ARS-IV, and K-CBCL scores between the groups. With a 1-year increase in age, the nogo-N200 latency at Fz and Cz decreased by 6.08 ms and 4.88 ms, respectively; this result was statistically significant in multivariable linear regression adjusted by sex and dominant hand.

Conclusion: Our findings revealed age-related changes in nogo-N200 latency at the Fz and Cz electrodes in individuals with ADHD. Future studies should perform comparisons with healthy controls to determine whether auditory nogo-N200 can be used to evaluate the developmental level in individuals with ADHD.