Differences in brain activity between ADHD and neurotypical adults
Comparing sleep-like brain activity in adults with ADHD compared to neurotypical adults advances understanding of the brain mechanisms that contribute to attention lapses during tasks.
2026-03-16
(Press-News.org) New from JNeurosci, Elaine Pinggal, from Monash University, and colleagues assessed how sleep-like brain activity in awake adults influences sustained attention during a task.
The researchers compared sleep-like brain activity from 32 medication-withdrawn adults with ADHD to 31 neurotypical adults as participants performed a task requiring sustained attention. The ADHD group had more sleep-like brain activity, which was associated with more lapses in attention. Further analyses revealed that this activity may drive the relationship between ADHD and attention problems, including task errors, slower reaction times, and sleepiness.
Says Pinggal, “Sleep-like brain activity is a normal phenomenon that happens during demanding tasks. Think of going for a long run and getting tired after a while, which makes you pause to take a break. Everyone experiences these brief moments of sleep-like activity. In people with ADHD, however, this activity occurs more frequently, and our research suggests this increased sleep-like activity may be a key brain mechanism that helps explain why these individuals have more difficulty maintaining consistent attention and performance during tasks.”
In neurotypical populations, auditory stimulation during sleep can boost slow waves, which in turn could reduce sleep-like brain activity the following day while awake. Pinggal says a potential next step could be exploring whether this approach similarly diminishes sleep-like activity during wakefulness in those with ADHD.
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About JNeurosci
JNeurosci was launched in 1981 as a means to communicate the findings of the highest quality neuroscience research to the growing field. Today, the journal remains committed to publishing cutting-edge neuroscience that will have an immediate and lasting scientific impact, while responding to authors' changing publishing needs, representing breadth of the field and diversity in authorship.
About The Society for Neuroscience
The Society for Neuroscience is the world's largest organization of scientists and physicians devoted to understanding the brain and nervous system. The nonprofit organization, founded in 1969, now has nearly 35,000 members in more than 95 countries.
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[Press-News.org] Differences in brain activity between ADHD and neurotypical adults
Comparing sleep-like brain activity in adults with ADHD compared to neurotypical adults advances understanding of the brain mechanisms that contribute to attention lapses during tasks.
