What does this research mean for the field?

Adolescents with ADHD exhibit decreased brain activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during cognitive control tasks. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.NOVEL_FINDING. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

This study aims to investigate brain activation patterns in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for adolescents with ADHD during cognitive control tasks.

February 22, 2026Open Access

Decreased brain activity within the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in adolescents during cognitive control tasks: a functional near-infrared spectroscopy study

Key Points

This study aims to investigate brain activation patterns in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for adolescents with ADHD during cognitive control tasks.
Assessed brain activation patterns using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).
Focused on adolescents diagnosed with ADHD during cognitive control tasks.
Compared activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) with non-ADHD peers.
Identified distinct brain activation patterns in the DLPFC for ADHD adolescents.
Showed decreased brain activity in ADHD individuals during cognitive tasks.

Abstract

We found distinct brain activation patterns in the DLPFC for ADHD adolescents during cognitive control tasks. fNIRS measured these differences, helping to understand the developmental trajectory of ADHD in adolescents and providing evidence of functional impairment in complex executive function tasks.

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Decreased brain activity within the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in adolescents during cognitive control tasks: a functional near-infrared spectroscopy study

Key Points

Abstract

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