Fronto-Parietal Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation for ADHD in Children and Adolescents

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental condition in children and adolescents and is often associated with difficulties in attention, inhibitory control, working memory, and other executive functions. The fronto-parietal brain network is thought to play an important role in these cognitive functions. Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that may influence brain activity. This study aims to evaluate whether 5-Hz tACS targeting the right frontal and parietal regions can improve executive functioning in children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 years with ADHD. The study also aims to explore whether any effects of tACS are related to changes in brain activity measured by electroencephalography (EEG). Participants will receive both active tACS and sham stimulation in a randomized, double-blind, crossover design. Clinical symptoms, executive function performance, and EEG measures will be assessed before and after each stimulation session. The main hypothesis is that active fronto-parietal tACS will produce greater improvement in executive functioning than sham stimulation, and that these effects may be associated with changes in EEG-measured brain activity.