The developmental shift in aperiodic activity and its link to the default mode network in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

BACKGROUND: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) involves altered neurodevelopment, yet the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Aperiodic EEG components may reflect neural functions like excitatory/inhibitory balance, but their age-related differences in ADHD and link to default mode network (DMN) dysfunction are unexplored. METHODS: We included 110 medication-naïve children/adolescents with ADHD and 100 matched typically developing peers aged 6-14 years. Aperiodic parameters (exponent, offset) were derived, and source-localized alpha-band DMN coherence was computed. The sample was stratified into middle childhood (6-9 years) and early adolescence (10-14 years) subgroups to delineate age-dependent patterns. RESULTS: ADHD showed globally increased exponent and offset versus controls. Normative age-related decreases were significantly attenuated in ADHD, indicating divergence from typical development. Age-stratified analyses revealed distinct patterns: in middle childhood, increased frontal offset correlated positively with inattention (right hemisphere) and hyperactivity/impulsivity (left hemisphere); in early adolescence, it associated with reduced coherence in two DMN pathways (right mSFG-left hippocampus and left mSFG-right MTG). CONCLUSIONS: Aperiodic activity differences in ADHD are age-dependent. Younger children exhibit focal, symptom-linked frontal abnormalities, whereas adolescents show pervasive network-level dysregulation. Aperiodic measures may capture age-varying ADHD pathophysiology, informing developmentally targeted biomarkers.