Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials Reveal Impairments in Vestibular Nerve Pathways in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to analyze the characteristics of vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) and evaluate specific vestibular nerve pathway impairments in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) compared to typically developing (TD) children. METHODS: Forty-five children with ADHD and 34 TD children were recruited. All participants underwent comprehensive acoustic (ACS) and galvanic (GVS) VEMP examinations. To account for within-subject correlation, statistical analyses were performed at the subject level. RESULTS: Children with ADHD exhibited prolonged P13 and N23 latencies in both ACS-cVEMP and GVS-cVEMP compared to TD children. For oVEMP, the N1 latency of ACS-oVEMP was significantly shorter in the ADHD group, and the interval was prolonged. Additionally, the absolute amplitude of ACS-cVEMP was significantly and markedly higher in children with ADHD. CONCLUSIONS: Children with ADHD exhibit functional abnormalities in both the saccule inferior vestibular nerve pathway (reflected by cVEMP) and the utricle superior vestibular nerve pathway (reflected by oVEMP). These impairments are primarily characterized by altered neural conduction latencies and hyperactive amplitude responses, providing valuable electrophysiological insights into vestibular dysfunction in ADHD.