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Predicting blink rate and pupil diameter from ADHD symptoms: Effects of white noise stimulation in an experimental study

Jostrup, Erica LU orcid ; Claesdotter-Knutsson, Emma LU ; Tallberg, Pia LU ; Söderlund, Göran ; Gustafsson, Peik LU orcid and Nyström, Marcus LU orcid (2025) In Brain Disorders 20. p.1-9
Abstract
Background
Children with ADHD are reported to have lower dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE) levels compared to typically developing children. We exploratively investigated how blink rate and pupil diameter, which are considered to be proxies for DA and NE signaling, were related to ADHD symptom severity. Moreover, we tested whether this relation is modulated by auditory white noise stimulation, which has been suggested as a non-pharmacological treatment for children with ADHD.
Method
We measured blink rate and pupil diameter in 97 children with varying levels of ADHD symptoms during a 60 s fixation task. The task was performed with and without auditory white noise stimulation. The effect of white noise stimulation was... (More)
Background
Children with ADHD are reported to have lower dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE) levels compared to typically developing children. We exploratively investigated how blink rate and pupil diameter, which are considered to be proxies for DA and NE signaling, were related to ADHD symptom severity. Moreover, we tested whether this relation is modulated by auditory white noise stimulation, which has been suggested as a non-pharmacological treatment for children with ADHD.
Method
We measured blink rate and pupil diameter in 97 children with varying levels of ADHD symptoms during a 60 s fixation task. The task was performed with and without auditory white noise stimulation. The effect of white noise stimulation was evaluated in relation to symptom severity and task duration.
Results
We found no relationship between the level of ADHD symptom severity and blink rate or pupil diameter, nor did symptom severity interact with auditory white noise stimulation. However, pupil diameter was consistently larger throughout the entire task as a result of the noise stimulation, an effect driven by boys.
Conclusions
Blink rate and pupil diameter do not seem to be reliably associated with ADHD symptom severity. This association also did not change when applying white noise stimulation. However, given the larger pupil diameter of boys, sex should be considered in future studies using white noise stimulation. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Brain Disorders
volume
20
article number
100289
pages
1 - 9
external identifiers
  • scopus:105019206807
DOI
10.1016/j.dscb.2025.100289
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
6dafbec0-682e-40e8-a2be-c55377b9ebe3
date added to LUP
2025-10-15 11:56:15
date last changed
2025-10-27 04:00:56
@article{6dafbec0-682e-40e8-a2be-c55377b9ebe3,
  abstract     = {{Background<br/>Children with ADHD are reported to have lower dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE) levels compared to typically developing children. We exploratively investigated how blink rate and pupil diameter, which are considered to be proxies for DA and NE signaling, were related to ADHD symptom severity. Moreover, we tested whether this relation is modulated by auditory white noise stimulation, which has been suggested as a non-pharmacological treatment for children with ADHD.<br/>Method<br/>We measured blink rate and pupil diameter in 97 children with varying levels of ADHD symptoms during a 60 s fixation task. The task was performed with and without auditory white noise stimulation. The effect of white noise stimulation was evaluated in relation to symptom severity and task duration.<br/>Results<br/>We found no relationship between the level of ADHD symptom severity and blink rate or pupil diameter, nor did symptom severity interact with auditory white noise stimulation. However, pupil diameter was consistently larger throughout the entire task as a result of the noise stimulation, an effect driven by boys.<br/>Conclusions<br/>Blink rate and pupil diameter do not seem to be reliably associated with ADHD symptom severity. This association also did not change when applying white noise stimulation. However, given the larger pupil diameter of boys, sex should be considered in future studies using white noise stimulation.}},
  author       = {{Jostrup, Erica and Claesdotter-Knutsson, Emma and Tallberg, Pia and Söderlund, Göran and Gustafsson, Peik and Nyström, Marcus}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{10}},
  pages        = {{1--9}},
  series       = {{Brain Disorders}},
  title        = {{Predicting blink rate and pupil diameter from ADHD symptoms: Effects of white noise stimulation in an experimental study}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dscb.2025.100289}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.dscb.2025.100289}},
  volume       = {{20}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}