ADHD may impact memory consolidation in sleep
07-06-2013
Children who suffer from attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be less able to consolidate memory during sleep compared to children without the condition, a new research study has claimed. It is believed that activity within the brain’s frontal region is used for memory consolidation, and this is also the area of the brain that ADHD can affect.
The investigation at University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein too three groups – healthy adults, healthy children and children with ADHD – and showed them a series of images that were deemed to have ‘emotional’ impact, such as animals, and then a series of ‘neutral’ images such as lamps. The following day the three groups were tested on their recall of the images, in a bid to determine their memory ability. The healthy children group came out on top, followed by the healthy adults, and the children with ADHD performed least effectively.
As part of the study the brain activity of all participants was monitored, and the relative performance of the three groups was mirrored in the level of activity witnessed in the frontal region.
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