UC Merced Undergraduate Research Journal

Exposure to orphanage care or other deprived conditions represent a contributing risk factor in the development of ADHD behaviors. Upon leaving these contexts, the resting EEG patterns found in post-institutionalized (PI) children resemble the EEG profile of children with behavior problems, such as inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Specifically, this atypical pattern consists of increased theta power relative to other power spectra and decreased alpha power. This study examined if this pattern persists years after adoption and/or whether they were found only in PI youth who developed ADHD. PI and nonadopted (NA) children, between 11-15 year old, comprised the two groups in the study. Approximately half of the participants in each group were diagnosed with ADHD. Parent-reported executive function and attention problems differed by ADHD, but not by adoption classification (PI/NA). The PI youth and NA youth with ADHD exhibited the atypical EEG pattern related to early deprivation and ADHD-related deficits. In the PI youth only, concentrations in beta power and alpha power were positively and negatively associated with fewer executive functions.