Behavioral and electrophysiologic predictors of treatment response to stimulants in children with attention disorders

Behavioral and quantitative electroencephalography (EEG) techniques were used to evaluate treatment response to stimulant therapy in children with attention disorders. A sample of 130 children with attention disorders were evaluated with Conners and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-III rating scales, and with neurometric quantitative EEG before and 6 to 14 months after treatment with stimulants. Significant quantitative EEG differences were found between the normal control population (N = 31) and the children with attention problems. Quantitative EEG abnormalities involved increased theta or alpha power, greatest in frontal regions, frontal theta/alpha hypercoherence, and posterior interhemispheric power asymmetry. Behavioral improvement after stimulant treatment was seen in 81.5% of the children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and 44.7% of the children with attention-deficit disorder, with the degree of correspondence between behavioral and quantitative EEG changes at 78.5%. Pretreatment clinical and quantitative EEG features could predict treatment response with a sensitivity of 83.1% and a specificity of 88.2%. A combined behavioral and quantitative EEG approach can be useful for following and predicting treatment response to stimulants in children with attention disorders.