Comparison of N170 Component in Identifying Facial Emotion in ADHD Adults and Adults without ADHD Using Event-Dependent Potential recording (ERP) method

Adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have some impairment in emotional relationship which can be due to problems in emotional processing. The present study uses the event-dependent potential (ERP) method to investigate the neural correlations of the early stages of emotional face processing in the N170 component when observing faces with different emotions in adults with ADHD compared to adults without ADHD.

A total of 12 adults between 20 and 42 years old (6 males and 6 females) with ADHD were compared with 12 adults without ADHD (6 males and 6 females). Participants identified faces with different emotions while their brain activity was recorded using the event-dependent potential method.

The results showed that the N170 component for a neutral face was significantly different both for women with ADHD in the P8 region and men with ADHD in the O1 region comparing to adults without the disorder. (P <0.05)

The present study supports the notion that people with ADHD in the early stages of facial processing and facial expressions are different from people without the disorder, which can affect the interpretation of facial expressions and emotions.