New method can detect ADHD in children

Using electrodes that measure brain activity in combination with AI could be the future of detecting ADHD in children.

In an early study, the method was able to identify children with and without an ADHD diagnosis nine times out of ten using EEG data.

EEG (electroencephalography) is the name given to the method that measures the electrical activity of the brain using electrodes attached to the head. EEG has been used in the past to diagnose sleep problems and to treat epilepsy.

Correct in 89% of cases

In a new study, Sunil Kumar, PhD in electrical engineering at the University of Gävle, has tested EEG technology as a way of detecting ADHD in children. He used EEG data from 121 children aged between 7 and 12, 60 of whom had a confirmed diagnosis of ADHD and 61 children who were highly certain that they did not have ADHD. The children's EEG curves were analyzed using a mathematical method and AI.

The results showed that the method has a high success rate - in 89% of cases, children with ADHD could be distinguished from those without a diagnosis. For Sunil Kumar, PhD in electrical engineering at the University of Gävle, the success rate was unexpectedly high.

"The method involves teaching a program to identify patterns using the EEG data we had access to. The results are clearly promising, even though we are at an early stage in the research," says Sunil Kumar.

More studies needed

In order to develop the method and get an even more reliable result, more research is needed. Sunil Kumar hopes to establish a collaboration with the healthcare sector to take the research to the next stage.

"We don't yet have a result that can be used clinically in healthcare. This is a theoretical and mathematical method and we have used existing data. For example, we need to do our own data collection with subjects and develop the method to increase accuracy and get a more applicable result. We also need to understand more about why the accuracy was so high," says Sunil Kumar.

According to the National Board of Health and Welfare, around 5% of young people and 2.5% of adults in Sweden have an ADHD diagnosis, and the proportion of the population with ADHD seems to be increasing - which is why Sunil Kumar sees great potential benefit in the new method.

"There is already a more accurate EEG method for diagnosing epilepsy, and we believe it is possible to develop our method and use it as a way for healthcare professionals to diagnose ADHD in the future.

Sunil Kumar's research team has also conducted a similar study to identify patients with schizophrenia. The results are also promising, but the study has not yet been published.

Link to scientific article External link.