Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most common brain-related condition in children leading to challenges with attention and impulse control. As a result, children often struggle to stay focused or stop themselves from acting impulsively. Despite how common ADHD is, the brain mechanisms that cause impulsive behaviour remain poorly understood. Our research team previously used specialized brain recordings in children with epilepsy—a group more likely to have ADHD—to study how the brain maintains attention. We discovered a brain network that could predict when attention was about to lapse. In this new project, we will build on that discovery to understand how the brain loses control over impulses. We will work with 20 children who already have tiny electrodes temporarily placed in their brains to help doctors locate seizure areas for epilepsy surgery. With full ethical approval, we will slightly adjust one electrode, when safe, to record from a deep brain region called the ventral striatum/nucleus accumbens.
This area is thought to play a key role in controlling impulsive actions. During a simple computer task, we will record brain activity when children successfully stop themselves—or fail to stop themselves—from pressing a button. Using advanced computer models, we will identify brain signal patterns that predict impulsive actions before they happen. We will then test whether gentle electrical stimulation of these brain areas can prevent those lapses in control.
This study will provide new insight into how impulsivity develops in the brain. In the long term, it could help guide the creation of personalized, brain-based treatments for children with ADHD and other conditions that affect impulse control.
