Head Motion During MRI Predicted by out-of-Scanner Sustained Attention Performance in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Objective: To characterize head movements in children with ADHD using an ex-Gaussian distribution and examine associations with out-of-scanner sustained attention. Method: Fifty-six children with ADHD and 61 controls aged 9 to 11 years completed the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART) and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In-scanner head motion was calculated using ex-Gaussian estimates for mu, sigma, and tau in delta variation signal and framewise displacement. Sustained attention was evaluated through omission errors and tau in response time on the SART. Results: Mediation analysis revealed that out-of-scanner attention lapses (omissions during the SART) mediated the relationship between ADHD diagnosis and in-scanner head motion (tau in delta variation signal), indirect effect: B = 1.29, 95% confidence interval (CI) = [0.07, 3.15], accounting for 29% of the association. Conclusion: Findings suggest a critical link between trait-level sustained attention and infrequent large head movements during scanning (tau in head motion) and highlight fundamental challenges in measuring the neural basis of sustained attention.