Attentional and neuromotor deficits in ADHD

Abstract

In order to classify attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in 11-year-old children, the role of specific attentional and motor deficits was examined. Participants comprised 22 children with ADHD (19 male, 3 female; median age 11 years, range 8.8 to 13.5 years) and 20 control children (17 male, 3 female; median age 10.6 years, range 8.2 to 12.6 years). Neuromotor assessment indicated that while both groups needed more time to complete finger compared to hand movements, this increase was more pronounced in children with ADHD. Reaction-time testing with continuous-force recording identified both motor and attentional deficits in children with ADHD. Longer intervals between force onset and force peak, and higher rate of responses with multiple force peaks (particularly in the bilateral condition) revealed specific deficits in the speed and quality of their motor output. Increase in errors and variability of force onsets indicated attentional deficits. Prediction analysis indicated that force-onset variability contributed significantly to group classification which was 85.7% correct. Neither neuromotor assessment nor specific motor deficits contributed significantly to classification, indicating that pure motor-speed measures play a minor role in characterizing ADHD in this age range.

Gait in Children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in a Dual-Task Paradigm

“…Although ADHD has repeatedly been linked to deficits in executive functions (e.g., Steger et al, 2001; Gillberg, 2003; Wilding, 2005; Willcutt et al, 2005), these deficits did not lead to a more strongly compromised gait pattern in dual-task walking in children with ADHD compared to controls. Finally, we found dual-task gait decrements to be larger when walking and concurrently performing a motor compared to a cognitive task.…”

“…This is in contrast to our hypothesis stating that children with ADHD will show more strongly compromised dual-task gait performance compared to children without ADHD. Since impaired executive functions are common for children with ADHD (e.g., Steger et al, 2001; Gillberg, 2003; Wilding, 2005; Willcutt et al, 2005) those results may to some extent contradict previous findings reporting a link between impaired executive functions and poorer gait performance in dual-task conditions among healthy older adults compared to healthy young adults (Beurskens and Bock, 2012) and among clinical adult samples compared to healthy controls (Sheridan et al, 2003; Yogev et al, 2005). However, our results are in line with Leitner et al (2007) reporting that the effect of dual-tasking on gait was comparable between children with and without ADHD.…”

“…It is characterized by three core symptoms: Impulsivity, hyperactivity, and inattention (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) and has repeatedly been linked to deficits in executive functions (e.g., Steger et al, 2001; Gillberg, 2003; Wilding, 2005; Willcutt et al, 2005). Furthermore, children diagnosed with ADHD are at higher risk for fine and gross motor impairments (Kaiser et al, 2015).…”

“…Although ADHD has repeatedly been linked to deficits in executive functions (e.g., Steger et al, 2001; Gillberg, 2003; Wilding, 2005; Willcutt et al, 2005) as for example in the central executive component of the working memory (e.g., Karatekin, 2004), little is known regarding the role that those limitations may play in dual-task gait in children with ADHD. To our knowledge, so far one study has investigated walking patterns of school-aged children with ADHD in a dual-task paradigm.…”

Event related potentials study of aberrations in voice control mechanisms in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

“…In general, aberrations of voluntary motor functions in ADHD have been reported in a number of studies (Steger et al, 2001; Lijffijt, et al, 2005; Fliers et al, 2009; Macneil et al, 2011; Bruckmann et al, 2012) and apparently are associated with an age-inappropriate overflow of movements that may predict impairment in behavioral inhibition (Mostofsky et al, 2003). Behavioral inhibition was conceptualized as being one of the problems for individuals with ADHD (Barkley, 1997), and it involves inhibiting a prepotent response from occurring or by interrupting an ongoing response pattern that is proving ineffective (Barkley and Murphy, 2006).…”