Biomarkers of ADHD Treatment Response (BAT)

The goal of this translational biomarker study is to use electroencephalography (EEG) to identify brain signatures that will predict a child's response to two of the most commonly prescribed ADHD medications, methylphenidate and mixed amphetamine salts. The main questions the investigators aim to answer are:

1. Do children with ADHD who show symptom reduction with methylphenidate have different EEG profiles than children who do not respond well to methylphenidate?
2. Do children who respond better to mixed amphetamine salts than to methylphenidate have unique EEG profiles?

The investigators will measure brain activity before the participating children have tried any stimulant medications, and then again after a 3-week trial of Concerta (methylphenidate). Participants who do not show significant symptom improvement on Concerta will then complete a 3-week trial of Adderall (mixed amphetamine salts), and the study will measure brain activity while those children are on the best dose of Adderall. The investigators will collect information from the child, caregivers, and teachers each week to measure ADHD symptom improvement and side effects. This study will therefore follow the typical treatment approach used in the Boston Children's Hospital Developmental Medicine Clinic, but the investigators will add measures of brain functioning before and after medication.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: ADHD
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Concerta; Drug: Adderall-XR

Detailed Description

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a highly prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder associated with psychiatric, social, academic, occupational, and health impairments across the lifetime. Although pharmacological interventions for pediatric ADHD are safe and effective, there is considerable variability in treatment response at the individual level. As a result, identification of optimal medication class and dose is often not attained in community clinical settings. The current application constitutes a translational biomarkers study aimed at identifying electroencephalography (EEG) and event related potential (ERP) biomarkers of preferential response to two commonly prescribed psychostimulants among children with ADHD. The results of this investigation will improve understanding of individual differences in neurobiological mechanisms of ADHD and provide preliminary data for a large-scale clinical trial aimed at developing a precision medicine care model for pharmacological treatment of ADHD.

With the support of the Translational Neuroscience Center Clinical Research Operations services and in collaboration with the Boston Children's Hospital Primary Care Center (CHPCC), the investigators will execute a sequential crossover design study examining pre-treatment EEG and ERP biomarkers of response to methylphenidate (MPH; Concerta) among all children and to mixed amphetamine salts (MAS; Adderall-XR) among children with suboptimal response to MPH. Additional pre- and post-treatment assessments will be integrated with standard clinical care provided by Dr. Chan (co-PI) in the Division of Developmental Medicine. The study will recruit 30 stimulant-treatment-naïve children with ADHD, ages 7-11, from the CHPCC. Additionally, analyses will capitalize on Dr. Arnett's (co-PI) existing EEG/ERP data on 40 typically developing (TD) children in the same age range to maximize power for statistical comparisons.

The investigators hypothesize that, consistent with Dr. Arnett's prior work, the EEG and ERP profiles will differentiate children with positive response to MPH versus preferential response to MAS. Specifically, the investigators hypothesize that MPH responders will have reduced P3 ERP amplitude and normal aperiodic spectral slope, while MAS preferential responders will have normal P3 amplitude and flatter aperiodic spectral slope. The investigators expect that slow individual alpha peak will be associated with reduced response to both MPH and MAS, as suggested by prior literature. Additionally, the investigators hypothesize that at optimal dosing, treatment-related change in EEG/ERP biomarkers will be associated with ADHD symptom improvement; this will indicate that individual differences in psychostimulant response reflect individual differences in the neurobiological etiology of ADHD symptoms.

The results of this pilot study will support application for federal funding for a large-scale clinical trial. The long-term outcomes of this line of research stand to benefit children and families with ADHD, as well as children with other primary diagnoses commonly associated with ADHD (e.g., autism spectrum disorder; genetic syndromes). Moreover, differences in neurophysiological correlates of differential stimulant response have potential to increase our knowledge of neural mechanisms underlying psychostimulant medication effects.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 16
• Phase: Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Massachusetts
    • Brookline, Massachusetts, United States, 02445
      • 2 Brookline Place

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 3 years to 7 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Pediatric patients ages 7-11 seen at the Children's Hospital Primary Care Center
• Have a diagnosis of ADHD or referred for an ADHD evaluation
• Have not previously trialed stimulant medication

Exclusion Criteria:

• Diagnoses of intellectual disability, autism, prior suicide attempt, current psychotropic medication use, known genetic syndrome, color-blindness
• History of nonfebrile seizures
• Gestational age < 32 weeks
• Prenatal alcohol or substance exposure
• Medical conditions that contraindicate psychostimulant use (e.g., cardiac concerns).

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Sequential Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Methylphenidate Trial; 3-week methylphenidate trial with weekly dose adjustments.	Drug: Concerta; 3-week trial of oral methylphenidate extended release
Active Comparator: Mixed Amphetamine Salts Trial; 3-week trial of mixed amphetamine salts with weekly dose adjustments.	Drug: Adderall-XR; 3-week trial of oral mixed amphetamine salts, extended release, administered only to children who do not show at least 30% improvement during the Concerta/Methylphenidate trial.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in ADHD Symptom Severity from Baseline to End of Concerta Trial	Vanderbilt ADHD Ratings from the parent and teacher will be collected at baseline and weekly during each of the 3-week medication trials to guide further dosing and study disposition. Patients with at least 30% ADHD symptom reduction on both parent and teacher rating scales at the end of the 3-week Concerta trial will return to standard clinical care with their primary care provider. Patients with less than 30% ADHD symptom reduction at the end of the 3-week Concerta/Methylphenidate trial will complete a 1-2 week medication washout and then a 3-week Adderall-XR trial. Vanderbilt items are rated on a scale of 0-3 and averaged. Higher scores indicate more symptoms.	Baseline and Concerta Trial Week 3
Change in ADHD Symptom Severity from Baseline to End of Adderall-XR Trial	Vanderbilt ADHD Ratings from the parent and teacher will be collected at baseline and weekly during each of the 3-week medication trials to guide further dosing and study disposition. Vanderbilt items are rated on a scale of 0-3 and averaged. Higher scores indicate more symptoms.	Baseline and Adderall-XR Trial Week 3
Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement (CGI-I) in ADHD-related impairment on Concerta	Change in functioning and ADHD-related impairment will be measured with the Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement scale (CGI-I) after 3 weeks of the Concerta trial. Ratings are made by the clinician on a scale of 1-7, with lower scores indicating fewer symptoms after treatment. Consistent with previous research, scores of 2 "much improved" or 1 "very much improved" will be considered clinically significant improvement and will be used to categorize patients as treatment responders for analyses.	Concerta Trial Week 3
Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement (CGI-I) in ADHD-related impairment on Adderall-XR	Change in functioning and ADHD-related impairment will be measured with the Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement scale (CGI-I) after 3 weeks of the Adderall-XR trial. Ratings are made by the clinician on a scale of 1-7, with lower scores indicating fewer symptoms after treatment. Consistent with previous research, scores of 2 "much improved" or 1 "very much improved" will be considered clinically significant improvement and will be used to categorize patients as treatment responders for analyses.	Adderall-XR Trial Week 3
Long-Term Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement (CGI-I) in ADHD-related impairment	Change in functioning and ADHD-related impairment from Baseline to post-treatment will be measured with the Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement scale (CGI-I) 3 months after the final medication trial. Ratings are made by the clinician on a scale of 1-7, with lower scores indicating fewer symptoms after treatment. Consistent with previous research, scores of 2 "much improved" or 1 "very much improved" will be considered clinically significant improvement and will be used to categorize patients as treatment responders for analyses.	3 Months After Trial Completion
Long-Term Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement (CGI-I) in ADHD-related impairment	Change in functioning and ADHD-related impairment from Baseline to post-treatment, and maintenance of improvement will be measured with the Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement scale (CGI-I) 6 months after the final medication trial. Ratings are made by the clinician on a scale of 1-7, with lower scores indicating fewer symptoms after treatment. Consistent with previous research, scores of 2 "much improved" or 1 "very much improved" will be considered clinically significant improvement and will be used to categorize patients as treatment responders for analyses.	6 Months After Trial Completion
Baseline EEG Resting Aperiodic Slope	EEG resting aperiodic spectral slope will be derived from the lights-off resting paradigm at baseline, with the hypothesis that unmedicated individual aperiodic slope will predict treatment response to Concerta and/or Adderall-XR. Aperiodic slope will be quantified as the aperiodic exponent from 1-55 hz using the FOOOF toolbox in MATLAB.	Baseline
Baseline EEG Resting Alpha Peak Frequency	EEG resting alpha peak frequency will be derived from the lights-off resting paradigm at baseline, with the hypothesis that unmedicated individual alpha peak frequency will predict treatment response to Concerta and/or Adderall-XR. Alpha peak frequency will be quantified as the highest peak between 7-13 hz for which there is lower power .2 hz below and .2 hz above, indicating a true peak rather than a local maximum.	Baseline
Baseline EEG Novelty P3 Amplitude	Average P3 amplitude derived from novel stimuli in a visual oddball task will be measured as the mean amplitude in a window determined via visual inspection and literature review. The hypothesis is that unmedicated individual novelty P3 amplitude will predict treatment response to Concerta and/or Adderall-XR.	Baseline
Baseline EEG Cued P3 Amplitude	Average P3 amplitude derived from cue stimuli in a cued go-no-go task will be measured as the mean amplitude in a window determined via visual inspection and literature review. The hypothesis is that unmedicated individual cued P3 amplitude will predict treatment response to Concerta and/or Adderall-XR.	Baseline
Change in EEG Resting Aperiodic Slope on Concerta	EEG resting aperiodic spectral slope will be derived from the lights-off resting paradigm at Baseline (unmedicated) and at the end of the Concerta Trial while the child is on their optimal dose of Concerta.	Baseline and Post-Concerta Trial
Change in EEG Alpha Peak Frequency on Concerta	EEG resting alpha peak frequency will be derived from the lights-off resting paradigm at Baseline (unmedicated) and at the end of the Concerta Trial while the child is on their optimal dose of Concerta.	Baseline and Post-Concerta Trial
Change in Novelty P3 ERP Amplitude on Concerta	Average P3 amplitude derived from novel stimulus trials in a visual oddball task will be measured as the mean amplitude in a window determined via visual inspection and literature review. The hypothesis is that change in novelty P3 amplitude from Baseline to optimal dose of Concerta will be associated with change in ADHD symptom severity.	Baseline and Post-Concerta Trial
Change in Cued P3 ERP Amplitude on Concerta	Average P3 amplitude derived from cue stimuli in a cued go-no-go task will be measured as the mean amplitude in a window determined via visual inspection and literature review. The hypothesis is that change in cue P3 amplitude from Baseline to optimal dose of Concerta will be associated with change in ADHD symptom severity.	Baseline and Post-Concerta Trial
Change in EEG Resting Aperiodic Slope on Adderall-XR	EEG resting aperiodic spectral slope will be derived from the lights-off resting paradigm at Baseline (unmedicated) and at the end of the Adderall-XR Trial while the child is on their optimal dose of Adderall-XR.	Baseline and Post-Adderall-XR Trial
Change in EEG Alpha Peak Frequency on Adderall-XR	EEG resting alpha peak frequency will be derived from the lights-off resting paradigm at Baseline (unmedicated) and at the end of the Adderall-XR Trial while the child is on their optimal dose of Adderall-XR.	Baseline and Post-Adderall-XR Trial
Change in Novelty P3 ERP Amplitude on Adderall-XR	Average P3 amplitude derived from novel stimulus trials in a visual oddball task will be measured as the mean amplitude in a window determined via visual inspection and literature review. The hypothesis is that change in novelty P3 amplitude from Baseline to optimal dose of Adderall-XR will be associated with change in ADHD symptom severity.	Baseline and Post-Adderall-XR Trial
Change in Cue P3 ERP Amplitude on Adderall-XR	Average P3 amplitude derived from cue stimuli in a cued go-no-go task will be measured as the mean amplitude in a window determined via visual inspection and literature review. The hypothesis is that change in cue P3 amplitude from Baseline to optimal dose of Adderall-XR will be associated with change in ADHD symptom severity.	Baseline and Post-Adderall-XR Trial

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Medication Tolerance to Concerta	In addition to symptom reduction, treatment side effects and tolerance will be examined as a secondary endpoint. Severity of side effects will be rated by the parent and teacher on the ADHD Vanderbilt Rating scales at baseline and weekly during the 3-week Concerta trial. At the end of the 3-week trial, each child will be assigned a summary tolerance rating by the research team: 1 = no side effects, 2=mild side effects, or 3=significant side effects requiring treatment discontinuation.	Post-Concerta Trial
Medication Tolerance to Adderall-XR	In addition to symptom reduction, treatment side effects and tolerance will be examined as a secondary endpoint. Severity of side effects will be rated by the parent and teacher on the ADHD Vanderbilt Rating scales at baseline and weekly during the 3-week Adderall-XR trial. At the end of the 3-week trial, each child will be assigned a summary tolerance rating by the research team: 1 = no side effects, 2=mild side effects, or 3=significant side effects requiring treatment discontinuation.	Post-Adderall-XR Trial
Change in Tests of Variables of Attention (TOVA) Commission errors on Concerta	Commission errors on the Tests of Variables of Attention (TOVA) will be examined at baseline and at the end of the 3-week Concerta trial when the patient is on their optimal dose of Concerta as a measure of treatment effects on inhibitory control. TOVA scores are reported as standard scores with a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 15 (range: <40 - >120). Higher scores indicate better performance.	Baseline and Post-Concerta Trial
Change in Tests of Variables of Attention (TOVA) Commission errors on Adderall-XR	Commission errors on the Tests of Variables of Attention (TOVA) will be examined at baseline and at the end of the 3-week Adderall-XR trial when the patient is on their optimal dose of Adderall-XR, as a measure of treatment effects on inhibitory control. TOVA scores are reported as standard scores with a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 15 (range: <40 - >120). Higher scores indicate better performance.	Baseline and Post-Adderall-XR Trial
Tests of Variables of Attention (TOVA) Response Time on Concerta	Response time on the Tests of Variables of Attention (TOVA) will be examined at baseline and at the end of the 3-week Concerta trial when the patient is on their optimal dose of Concerta, as a measure of treatment effects on response time (speed). TOVA scores are reported as standard scores with a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 15 (range: <40 - >120). Higher scores indicate better performance.	Baseline and Post-Concerta Trial
Tests of Variables of Attention (TOVA) Response Time on Adderall-XR	Response time on the Tests of Variables of Attention (TOVA) will be examined at baseline and at the end of the 3-week Adderall-XR trial when the patient is on their optimal dose of Adderall-XR, as a measure of treatment effects on response time (speed). TOVA scores are reported as standard scores with a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 15 (range: <40 - >120). Higher scores indicate better performance.	Baseline and Post-Adderall-XR Trial
Tests of Variables of Attention (TOVA) Omission Errors on Concerta	Omission errors on the Tests of Variables of Attention (TOVA) will be examined at baseline and at the end of the 3-week Concerta trial when the patient is on their optimal dose of Concerta, as a measure of treatment effects on attention maintenance. TOVA scores are reported as standard scores with a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 15 (range: <40 - >120). Higher scores indicate better performance.	Baseline and Post-Concerta Trial
Tests of Variables of Attention (TOVA) Omission Errors on Adderall-XR	Omission errors on the Tests of Variables of Attention (TOVA) will be examined at baseline and at the end of the 3-week Adderall-XR trial when the patient is on their optimal dose of Adderall-XR, as a measure of treatment effects on attention maintenance. TOVA scores are reported as standard scores with a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 15 (range: <40 - >120). Higher scores indicate better performance.	Baseline and Post-Adderall-XR Trial
Tests of Variables of Attention (TOVA) Variability in Response Time on Concerta	Variability of response time on the Tests of Variables of Attention (TOVA) will be examined at baseline and at the end of the 3-week Concerta trial when the patient is on their optimal dose of Concerta, as a measure of treatment effects on response time variability (consistency). TOVA scores are reported as standard scores with a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 15 (range: <40 - >120). Higher scores indicate better performance.	Baseline and Post-Concerta Trial
Tests of Variables of Attention (TOVA) Variability in Response Time on Adderall-XR	Variability of response time on the Tests of Variables of Attention (TOVA) will be examined at baseline and at the end of the 3-week Adderall-XR trial when the patient is on their optimal dose of Adderall-XR, as a measure of treatment effects on response time variability (consistency). TOVA scores are reported as standard scores with a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 15 (range: <40 - >120). Higher scores indicate better performance.	Baseline and Post-Adderall-XR Trial
Change in Internalizing Symptoms	Longitudinal associations between ADHD symptom reduction and internalizing symptoms (depression, anxiety) will be measured using the Behavior Assessment System for Children, 3rd Edition (BASC-3) Internalizing Scale at Baseline and at 3 months after study completion. Longitudinal bivariate associations will be modeled using an autoregressive cross-lagged path model. BASC-3 scores are reported as T-scores with a mean of 50 and standard deviation of 10 (range: 20-120). Higher scores indicate more pathology.	Baseline & 3 months after trial completion
Long-term Change in Internalizing Symptoms	Longitudinal associations between ADHD symptom reduction and internalizing symptoms (depression, anxiety) will be measured using the Behavior Assessment System for Children, 3rd Edition (BASC-3) Internalizing Scale at Baseline and at 6 months after study completion. Longitudinal bivariate associations will be modeled using an autoregressive cross-lagged path model. BASC-3 scores are reported as T-scores with a mean of 50 and standard deviation of 10 (range: 20-120). Higher scores indicate more pathology.	Baseline & 6 months after trial completion
Change in Externalizing Symptoms	Longitudinal associations between ADHD symptom reduction and externalizing symptoms (oppositional defiance, aggression, conduct problems) will be measured using the Behavior Assessment System for Children, 3rd Edition (BASC-3) Externalizing Scale at Baseline and at 3 months after trial completion. Bivariate associations will be modeled across all 3 time points using an autoregressive cross-lagged path model. BASC-3 scores are reported as T-scores with a mean of 50 and standard deviation of 10 (range: 20-120). Higher scores indicate more pathology.	Baseline and 3 months after trial completion
Long-term Change in Externalizing Symptoms	Longitudinal associations between ADHD symptom reduction and externalizing symptoms (oppositional defiance, aggression, conduct problems) will be measured using the Behavior Assessment System for Children, 3rd Edition (BASC-3) Externalizing Scale at Baseline and at 6 months after trial completion. Bivariate associations will be modeled across all 3 time points using an autoregressive cross-lagged path model. BASC-3 scores are reported as T-scores with a mean of 50 and standard deviation of 10 (range: 20-120). Higher scores indicate more pathology.	Baseline and 6 months after trial completion

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Boston Children's Hospital
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Eugenia Chan, MD, Boston Children's Hospital; Principal Investigator: Anne B Arnett, PhD, Boston Children's Hospital

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 17, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 30, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): March 30, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 1, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 6, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): December 14, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 16, 2024
• Last Verified: December 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: ADHD; Electroencephalography; Stimulants; Event related potentials
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Neurotransmitter Agents; Membrane Transport Modulators; Central Nervous System Stimulants; Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors; Neurotransmitter Uptake Inhibitors; Dopamine Agents; Methylphenidate; Adderall
• Other Study ID Numbers: ArnettChanTNC2022

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED
• IPD Plan Description: De-identified EEG, behavioral and cognitive data may be made available to researchers upon request.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: Yes
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: Yes