Aberrant resting-state connectivity of auditory, ventral attention/salience and default-mode networks in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Blomberg, Rina; Signoret, Carine; Danielsson, Henrik; Perini, Irene; Rönnberg, Jerker; Capusan, Andrea Johansson · 2022 · Crossref

DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.972730

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Summary

This study investigates the neural mechanisms underlying auditory distraction in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), specifically examining resting-state functional connectivity (FC) between the default-mode network (DMN), ventral attention/salience network (VA/SN), and auditory networks. While previous research often attributes ADHD-related inattention to poor DMN regulation and mind wandering, this work tests a competing hypothesis: that dysfunctional organization of the DMN and VA/SN may also index increased sensitivity to external environmental stimuli. The authors aim to determine if aberrant interactions between these major intrinsic networks and auditory systems explain heightened susceptibility to auditory distraction in ADHD. The researchers analyzed 12 minutes of resting-state fMRI data from 17 adults with clinically stable ADHD and 17 healthy controls. Data were preprocessed using the CONN toolbox, including denoising for physiological noise and head movement. The study employed functional network connectivity (FNC) analysis to assess group differences in the anticorrelation between the DMN and VA/SN. Additionally, seed-based ROI-to-ROI analyses evaluated FC between predefined auditory regions and hubs within the DMN and VA/SN. To link neural findings to behavior, the authors correlated resting-state connectivity patterns with performance on a cognitively demanding visual working memory task (2-back) that required ignoring distracting auditory stimuli, as well as with ADHD symptom severity scores. Results confirmed that adults with ADHD exhibited a significantly weaker anticorrelation between the DMN and VA/SN compared to controls, particularly involving the medial prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate cortex. This reduced anticorrelation correlated positively with inattentive and combined symptom severity. Furthermore, the ADHD group showed aberrant connectivity with auditory regions: auditory networks were more positively coupled with the right supramarginal gyrus of the VA/SN and less anticorrelated with the medial prefrontal cortex of the DMN. Crucially, individual differences analysis revealed that stronger intrinsic segregation (anticorrelation) between the VA/SN and auditory networks predicted better performance on the task requiring the suppression of auditory distraction. Conversely, increased connectivity between auditory regions and the VA/SN was associated with higher symptom severity. These findings support the hypothesis that auditory distraction in ADHD is linked to dysfunctional interactions between the DMN, VA/SN, and auditory systems. The results suggest that the commonly observed weaker DMN–VA/SN anticorrelation in ADHD may reflect not only internal mind-wandering but also an increased sensitivity to external salient stimuli. By demonstrating that intrinsic segregation between sensory and attention networks predicts behavioral success in ignoring distractions, the study highlights the importance of sensory interactions with major intrinsic networks in understanding ADHD pathophysiology.

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• auditory