Altered Dorsal Attention and Default Network Connectivity Associated with Dimensional Measures of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Amanda Elton¹, Sarael Alcauter¹, Wei Gao¹

Resting-state fMRI was used to investigate alterations in functional connectivity within and between the dorsal attention and default network associated with dimensional and categorical measures of ADHD in 195 children with ADHD and 241 typically-developing children. Symptoms of inattention and impulsivity were associated with greater functional connectivity in the dorsal attention network. Symptoms of inattention were also associated with diminished functional competition between the two networks. Impulsive symptoms were associated with diminished functional competition between regions of the dorsal attention and default network in typically-developing children, but this brain-behavior relationship was disrupted in ADHD.