A new study reveals that brief bursts of sleep-like brain activity during wakefulness may explain attention lapses in adults with ADHD, opening doors for potential sleep-targeted treatments.
Key takeaways:
- Researchers found that unmedicated adults with ADHD experience more frequent episodes of sleep-like brain activity during demanding tasks compared to neurotypical adults.
- These sleep-like brain states are associated with attention difficulties, slower reaction times, increased errors, and heightened sleepiness.
- Future research will explore whether auditory stimulation during sleep can reduce daytime sleep-like brain activity and improve task performance in people with ADHD.
A new study published in The Journal of Neuroscience explores how brief bursts of sleep-like brain activity during wakefulness affect sustained attention, particularly in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Elaine Pinggal of Monash University and her team investigated the role of this brain activity in attention challenges. The researchers measured sleep-like brain activity in 32 adults with ADHD who had stopped taking medication and compared them with 31 neurotypical adults, as all participants completed a task requiring sustained attention.
The results showed that individuals with ADHD experienced more frequent episodes of sleep-like brain activity. These moments were linked to more frequent lapses in attention. Further analysis suggested that this specific brain activity may help explain why ADHD is associated with attention difficulties, including increased errors during tasks, slower reaction times, and greater feelings of sleepiness.
“Sleep-like brain activity is a normal phenomenon that happens during demanding tasks. Think of going for a long run and getting tired after a while, which makes you pause to take a break. Everyone experiences these brief moments of sleep-like activity. In people with ADHD, however, this activity occurs more frequently, and our research suggests this increased sleep-like activity may be a key brain mechanism that helps explain why these individuals have more difficulty maintaining consistent attention and performance during tasks,” says Elaine Pinggal, researcher at Monash University, in a release.
The findings may guide future treatment approaches targeting sleep-related brain activity. Previous research in neurotypical individuals indicates that auditory stimulation during sleep can enhance slow wave activity, potentially reducing sleep-like brain activity the following day while a person is awake.
According to Pinggal, a possible next step is to test whether this same method could reduce daytime sleep-like brain activity in people with ADHD. If effective, the approach could point to new ways of improving attention and task performance.
