Investigation of Autonomic Nervous System Functions by Pupillometry in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Year: 2013
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Objective: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most frequently seen neurodevelopmental disorders among school-aged children. Although the main cause of ADHD is unknown, combinations of genetic, biological and psychosocial factors are thought to play a part in the etiology of ADHD. This study aims to compare the autonomic nervous system functions of 6–11 year-old males diagnosed with ADHD against healthy controls by measuring pupil diameters.Methods: Thirty-two males with ADHD and 24 healthy controls participated in this study. Any other psychiatric disorders except oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) were excluded from this study. The autonomic nervous system functions of participants were evaluated by measuring pupil diameter changes in photopic and mesopic conditions.Results: There were no statistically significant difference on photopic and mesopic pupil diameters between the ADHD and healthy control groups. Moreover, the ADHD subgroup with ODD did not differ from the ADHD subgroup without ODD with respect to the same parameters.Conclusion: In conclusion, these findings suggest that males with ADHD show no differences in pupil diameters compared to typically developing children. This might indicate no difference in autonomic nervous system functions measured by pupillometry. However, it is recommended that the results of our study need to be confirmed by more detailed studies.
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W2113756683