脑电波检测或有助诊断小儿多动症

Researchers recorded irregular brain-wave patterns in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, suggesting physiological abnormalities may be behind the condition, according to a report in Pediatrics and Neonatology. The cause of ADHD, one of the most common developmental disorders diagnosed in children, isn't known.

《儿科学与新生儿学》(Pediatrics and Neonatology)上发表的一份报告显示，研究人员捕捉到多动症儿童的脑电波会出现异常波动，表明多动症背后可能存在生理异常问题。多动症是诊疗中最常见的儿童发育障碍之一，但至今其病因仍是未解之谜。

The study in Taiwan compared electrical brain activity in 50 children with ADHD and 51 controls during a test called Event-Related Potentials (ERP), which is used to study neurological disorders. The children, including 82 boys and 19 girls ranging in age from 6 to 13, were divided into four age groups for testing. None of the participants took ADHD medications.

该研究在台湾开展，主要是基于一项研究神经紊乱问题的“事件关联电位”(Event-Related Potentials)测试。研究人员对50名多动症患儿和51名对照组儿童的脑电波活动进行了比较。这群儿童包括82名男孩和19名女孩，年龄从六岁到13岁不等，被分成四组进行测试。参加测试的儿童均未接受过多动症药物治疗。

During the test, electrodes placed at specific sites on the scalp measured brain responses to 200 tones delivered at random sequences through earphones. When the children heard rare or odd-sounding tones, they pressed a button or counted the tones. The test was repeated twice for each participant.

在测试中，电极固定在被测试者头部的特定位置，通过耳机向被测试者随机播放200多个音调。当孩子听到异常或奇怪的音调时，就按下一个按钮或对异常音调进行计数。每位儿童都要重复接受两次测试。

Results showed significant differences in the brain activity of ADHD children compared with the control subjects in regions of the brain associated with processing tasks requiring attention, processing speed, behavioral inhibition and control, and central nervous system hyperexcitability.

结果显示，在与处理需要集中注意力的任务、处理速度、行为抑制和控制有关的大脑区域，多动症儿童的大脑活动明显有别于对照组的儿童，而且多动症儿童的中枢神经系统有过度兴奋的表现。

The researchers said ERP could be a useful tool in identifying cognitive abnormalities in ADHD children.

研究人员称，事件关联电位技术或许有助于识别多动症儿童的认知异常。