Attentional Control and Subjective Executive Function in Treatment-Naive Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Abstract

We investigated performance-derived measures of executive control, and their relationship with self- and informant reported executive functions in everyday life, in treatment-naive adults with newly diagnosed Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD; n = 36) and in healthy controls (n = 35). Sustained attentional control and response inhibition were examined with the Test of Variables of Attention (T.O.V.A.). Delayed responses, increased reaction time variability, and higher omission error rate to Go signals in ADHD patients relative to controls indicated fluctuating levels of attention in the patients. Furthermore, an increment in NoGo commission errors when Go stimuli increased relative to NoGo stimuli suggests reduced inhibition of task-irrelevant stimuli in conditions demanding frequent responding. The ADHD group reported significantly more cognitive and behavioral executive problems than the control group on the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult Version (BRIEF-A). There were overall not strong associations between task performance and ratings of everyday executive function. However, for the ADHD group, T.O.V.A. omission errors predicted self-reported difficulties on the Organization of Materials scale, and commission errors predicted informant reported difficulties on the same scale. Although ADHD patients endorsed more symptoms of depression and anxiety on the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA) than controls, ASEBA scores were not significantly associated with T.O.V.A. performance scores. Altogether, the results indicate multifaceted alteration of attentional control in adult ADHD, and accompanying subjective difficulties with several aspects of executive function in everyday living. The relationships between the two sets of data were modest, indicating that the measures represent non-redundant features of adult ADHD.

Cognitive heterogeneity in adult attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A systematic analysis of neuropsychological measurements

“…This task design may provoke impulsive responses among participants more strongly and may thus be more sensitive to inhibition problems in ADHD (Epstein et al, 2001). Indeed, manipulation of response prepotency was effective in evoking response inhibition difficulties in adult ADHD patients (Grane et al, 2014). …”

“…Recent meta-analyses in adult ADHD focused solely on deficits found in working memory (Alderson et al, 2013) and long-term memory (Skodzik et al, 2013). Furthermore, recent experimental studies on adult ADHD show deficits in attention (Fuermaier et al, 2015; Grane et al, 2014), set-shifiting (Boonstra et al, 2010; Hallehand et al, 2012; Rohlf et al, 2012) inhibition (Boonstra et al, 2010; Fuermaier et al, 2015), (working) memory (Fuermaier et al, 2015; Lundervold et al, 2015; Rohlf et al, 2012), delay discounting (Marx et al, 2010), and increased reaction time variability (Feige et al, 2013; Gmehlin et al, 2014; Grane et al, 2014). …”

Motor cognitive processing speed estimation among the primary schoolchildren by deriving prediction formula: A cross-sectional study

“…[1] It has been used widely in the assessment of executive functions, neuropsychological functions, and motor cognitive processing speed (MCPS). [234] MCPS varies with number of possible valid stimulus, type, order and intensity of stimulus, arousal, age, gender, physical fitness, hand dominance, practice and error, fatigue, fasting, distraction, alcohol, finger tremor, stress, drugs, intelligence, learning disorder, brain injury, illness, personality type, and accuracy in hearing and vision. [15] Lesser MCPS accelerates the achievements in various fields such as games, studies, fine arts, martial arts, and defense.…”

Comparison of clinical and cognitive characteristics of a Mexican adult clinical population with and without ADHD

“…Adults with persistent symptoms reported more difficulties related with to executive functions, involving controlled attention, rather than hyperactivity and impulsivity symptoms (Barkley, 2008). Deficits in executive control that appear in the early stages of life of subjects with ADHD tend to persist into adulthood and are consistent with the reports of both the patient and informants, with respect to the behavioral manifestations of executive dysfunctions in everyday life (Barkley, 2012;Grane, Endestad, Pinto, & Solbakk, 2014;Karam et al, 2009).…”