- Medication-naive children with ADHD showed increased functional connectivity within the sensorimotor network and between SMN-DMN and SMN-SN compared with controls.
- Intra-SMN FC was negatively associated with hyperactivity/impulsivity; SMN-DMN FC associated with better attention control; SMN-SN FC associated with poorer Stroop performance.
- Findings are cross-sectional with modest sample size, precluding causal inferences and requiring replication in longitudinal, larger cohorts.
Front Psychiatry. 2026 Jul 27;17:1843959. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1843959. eCollection 2026.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder, often-but not always-characterized by inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and deficits in executive functions (EFs); some individuals may also exhibit sensorimotor dysfunction. While SMN dysfunction has been implicated in ADHD, the patterns of SMN functional connectivity (FC) and their relationships with clinical symptoms and EFs remain inconsistent, partly due to methodological heterogeneity.
METHODS: The study included 62 medication-naïve patients with ADHD (aged 6-15 years) and 46 healthy controls matched for age, sex, and IQ. Clinical symptoms and EFs were assessed using CPRS, IVA-CPT, and Stroop tests. Resting-state fMRI data were acquired, and ROIs within SMN, SN, DMN, and FPN were selected from the Dosenbach atlas. FC was analyzed using Network-Based Statistics (NBS). Partial correlations explored FC-behavior relationships in the ADHD group, controlling for age, sex, and IQ.
RESULTS: The ADHD group showed significantly higher CPRS hyperactivity/impulsivity scores and poorer IVA-CPT and Stroop performance. Compared to controls, ADHD showed increased FC within SMN (right posterior insula to left precentral gyrus/parietal lobe), between SMN-DMN (precentral gyrus, dorsal frontal cortex, temporal lobe, angular gyrus, posterior cingulate cortex, and precuneus), and SMN-SN (middle insula, superior parietal lobule, superior temporal gyrus, basal ganglia, and fusiform gyrus). Enhanced intra-SMN FC was negatively correlated with impulsivity/hyperactivity and hyperactivity index scores. Enhanced SMN-DMN FC was negatively correlated with hyperactivity symptoms and positively correlated with control quotients in IVA-CPT. Enhanced SMN-SN FC was negatively correlated with Stroop correct responses and positively correlated with omission errors.
CONCLUSIONS: In this medication-naïve pediatric sample, distinct SMN connectivity patterns differentially related to ADHD symptoms and executive function. However, given the cross-sectional design and modest sample size, these associations cannot establish causality; they require replication in longitudinal studies and larger cohorts to clarify whether they reflect developmental variation, neurobiological subtypes, or epiphenomena.
PMID:42577345 | PMC:PMC13454290 | DOI:10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1843959
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