# Alpha oscillations and working memory deficits in ADHD: A multimodal imaging investigation

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · 2020 · $634,655

## Abstract

Project Summary
High prevalence rates of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (5-11% of children 4-17 years),
combined with its high societal cost, strong persistence and pernicious effects on quality of life, warrant
continued efforts to understand its underlying neural mechanisms. Underscoring this need is the increasing
recognition that ADHD is clinically and mechanistically heterogeneous, and that this likely degrades the
reliability of putative biomarkers of ADHD. Novel, focused studies that aim to reduce such heterogeneity are
needed. In this project, we aim to define a robust, relatively unexplored putative biomarker of visual attention
deficits, alpha range (8-12Hz) event-related decrease (ERD), which strongly indexes working memory (WM)
deficits in ADHD. Using cutting-edge, concurrent EEG-fMRI recordings, we propose to measure event-related
alpha ERD and its associated brain activation and network connectivity during WM encoding. The concurrent
recordings allow us to directly test if fluctuations in engagement of attention mechanisms captured by the alpha
ERD neurophysiological measures predict fluctuations in WM neural processes. Using this methodology, we
aim to: (a) identify neural mechanisms underlying alpha ERD deficits and WM performance in ADHD, and (b)
define the clinical features of alpha ERD deficits in ADHD, including its effect on real life outcomes such as
academic achievement. Unique to this project, we will sample participants who were previously tested in two
large ADHD-EEG studies, recruiting them for a longitudinal follow-up experimental session if they are currently
in adolescence (14-18 years). By doing so we aim to (c) characterize the developmental trajectory of attention
deficits as captured by alpha ERD in ADHD, as well its impact on the trajectory of clinical and real-life
outcomes. The adolescent sample will provide new insight into neural and neurophysiological characteristics of
ADHD during this developmental period. The outcome of this research is a clearly defined neural mechanism,
alpha ERD, that can be targeted in treatment of WM deficits in ADHD, or in other neuropsychiatric disorders.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9819782
- **Project number:** 5R01MH116268-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
- **Principal Investigator:** Agatha Lenartowicz
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $634,655
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-11-06 → 2023-10-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9819782

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9819782, Alpha oscillations and working memory deficits in ADHD: A multimodal imaging investigation (5R01MH116268-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9819782. Licensed CC0.

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