Functional Imaging Derived ADHD Biotypes Based on Deep Clustering May Guide Personalized Medication Therapy

Abstract

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder with childhood onset, however, there is no clear correspondence established between clinical ADHD subtypes and primary medications. Identifying objective and reliable neuroimaging markers for categorizing ADHD biotypes may lead to more individualized, biotype-guided treatment. Here we proposed graph convolutional network plus deep clustering for ADHD biotype detection using functional network connectivity (FNC), resulting in two biotypes based on 1069 ADHD patients selected from Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, which were well replicated on independent ADHD adolescents undergoing longitudinal medication treatment (n=130). Interestingly, in addition to differences in cognitive performance and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms, biotype 1 treated with methylphenidate demonstrated significantly better recovery than biotype 2 treated with atomoxetine (p<0.05, FDR corrected). This imaging-driven, biotype-guided approach holds promise for facilitating personalized treatment of ADHD, exploring possible boundaries through innovative deep learning algorithms aimed at improving medication treatment effectiveness.

Neurodevelopmental Subtypes of Functional Brain Organization in the ABCD Study Using a Rigorous Analytic Framework

“…Additionally, a study on inhibitory control established cognitive and neurobiological profiles related to reading abilities, demonstrating significant reading ability variations among groups with different default mode network connectivity patterns (Fekson et al, 2023). Moreover, research on ADHD (Sui et al, 2023) identified two distinct ADHD biotypes with implications for personalized medication therapy, emphasizing the potential of neuroimaging markers in tailored treatment approaches (Yan et al, 2023). Together, these studies highlight the ABCD dataset’s potential role in revealing neurodevelopmental profiles that may contribute to a deeper understanding of mental health, cognitive abilities, and the potential for personalized treatment strategies.…”