Adult ADHD: Influence of Physical Activation, Stimulation, and Reward on Cognitive Performance and Symptoms

Abstract

Adults with ADHD often fail to reach the same occupational status as healthy controls (e.g., Barkley, Murphy, & Fischer, 2008). Functional impairments seem to be associated with clinical symptoms (e.g., Barkley et al., 2008), self-reported executive function (EF) deficits (Barkley & Fischer, 2011), and cognitive task performance (e.g., Miller, Nevado-Montenegro, & Hinshaw, 2012). Actual models of ADHD consider the influence of situational factors that influence motivation and activation on performance (e.g., Sergeant, 2005; Sonuga-Barke, 2005). Thus, it is essential to investigate such factors that may be facilitating for adults with ADHD to tailor and complement treatment options. Theoretical models and empirical investigations dealing with the influence of situational factors on cognitive performance in children with ADHD have mainly focused on the influence of physical activation, stimulation, and reward. However, less is known about the impact of these factors on adult ADHD.

Effectiveness of Physical Activity Intervention on ADHD Symptoms: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…By screening the abstract and the full text, 7,440 papers were further excluded due to non-English literature, no full text, or irrelevance. Finally, nine self-control trials (18,(37)(38)(39)(40)(47)(48)(49)(50), five non-randomized control trials (19,32,33,51,52), and nine randomized control trials (16,20,(34)(35)(36)(53)(54)(55)(56) were eligible for meta-analysis. The screening process is shown in Figure 1.…”

Cognitive characterization of adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder by domains: a systematic review

“…Similarly, Pelletier et al (2013) reported a greater susceptibility to distraction and worse performance under irrelevant sound conditions for individuals with ADHD, indicative of impaired selective attention, while Salomone et al (2020) did not report significant differences. Kallweit et al (2019) also showed adult ADHD individuals exhibiting a slower performance in a selective attention task while displaying higher hyperactivity and feeling less calm than controls, while Lin and Gua (2020) reported worse selective attention in both early and late onset adult ADHD groups when compared to controls. Previously, Pazvantoglu et al (2012) had reported that ADHD persisters showed worse inattention problems than both remitters and controls, while for omission errors of the CPT, these were high both in persisters and remitters.…”

The impact of psychological theory on the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in adults: A scoping review

“…Active movement-related interventions aim to improve neurobiological factors such as increased cerebral blood flow, enhance neuroplasticity [ 288 , 289 ], assist the development of cortical and subcortical brain regions through activity [ 287 ], reduce the impact of comorbid anxiety, depression, stress and negative affect [ 279 , 288 ], and improve cognitive function and performance [ 282 – 286 ]. There is a specific focus on hypodopominergic functioning in ADHD and the upregulation of a brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) protein in several studies.…”

“…Treatment varies both in approach and length, from vigorous physical activity for 30 minutes, such as cycling, to fine motor movement stimulation using an anti-stress ball during a task. Citations for the characterisation of ADHD in these approaches include DSM IV [ 287 ], DSM V [ 285 ], Nigg [ 281 , 286 ], Sergeant [ 282 ], Sonuga-Barke [ 282 , 286 ], and Barkley [ 278 – 280 , 283 , 284 , 286 , 288 , 289 ].…”