Cognitive switching processes in young people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Abstract

Patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can be slow at switching between stimuli, or between sets of stimuli to control behaviour appropriate to changing situations. We examined clinical and experimental parameters that may influence the speed of such processes measured in the trail-making (TMT) and switch-tasks in cases with ADHD combined-type, their non-affected siblings and unrelated healthy controls. The latency for completion of the trail-making task controlling for psychomotor processing (TMT B-A) was longer for ADHD cases, and correlated with Conners' ratings of symptom-severity across all subjects. The effect decreased with age. Switchtask responses to questions of "Which number?" and "How many?" between sets of 1/111 or 3/333 elicited differential increases in latency with condition that affected all groups. But there was evidence for increased symptom-related intra-individual variability among the ADHD cases, and across all subjects. Young siblings showed familiality for some measures of TMT and switch-task performance but these were modest. The potential influence of moderator variables on the efficiency of processing stimulus change rather than the speed of processing are discussed. KeywordsADHD; attention; heritability; risk; siblings; set; switch; trail-making To switch attention or behaviour is fundamentally adaptive in environments that change. Switching attention between stimuli (from moment to moment), switching plans (from retreat to approach) can also be rewarding. But switches cost. They need control, effort (energy) and take time compared to a continuation with the ongoing mode of response. If control is efficient the cost can be small. Young people with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have disturbances in reinforcement processes (Sonuga-Barke, 2005), controlling effortful processes (Sergeant, Geurts, Huijbregts, Scheres, & Oosterlaan, 2003;Hurks et al., 2005), and switching attention-related processes (Pearson, Lane, & Swanson, 1991;Mason, Humphreys, & Kent, 2004;White & Shah, 2006).Neurophysiological and neuroimaging studies report roles for the inferior frontal regions in switching between stimuli (Jemel, Achenbach, Müller, Röpcke, & Oades, 2002;Beck, Rees, Frith, & Lavie, 2001), and parts of the intraparietal sulcus in switching between plans contingent on set (Dove, Pollmann, Schubert, Wiggins, & von Cramon, 2000;Hampshire & Corresponding author: Biopsychology Group, University Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Virchowstr. 174, 45147 Essen, Germany, Tel.: +49-(0)201-9597-030, Fax.: +49-(0)201-7227-302, robert.oades@uni-due.de. Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which c...

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