Early attentional deficits in an attention-to-prepulse paradigm in ADHD adults.

Abstract

Adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were examined for early and late attentional processes as a function of controlled attention. The test paradigm was the attentional modulation of prepulse inhibition (PPI; early controlled attentional processing) and prepulse facilitation (PPF; late controlled attentional processing). In 49 patients and 49 controls, the authors measured acoustic startle responses to 96-dB startle pulses preceded 120, 240 (for PPI), 2,000, and 4,500 (for PPF) ms by a 68-dB prepulse noise. Geometric figures signaled that prepulses were to be ignored or attended to (automatic vs. controlled attention). ADHD patients exhibited deficits in prepulse modulation, but these reflected an interaction of controlled attention and time of information processing. Normal PPI and PPF occurred under all conditions except for controlled attentional modulation of PPI. Attention deficits in ADHD patients may reflect not general derangements in information processing or ability to attend but, rather, selective disturbances of controlled attention during early information processing.

Appraisal frames of pleasant and unpleasant pictures alter emotional responses as reflected in self-report and facial electromyographic activity

“…Prior work has indicated that the experience of positive emotion is highly correlated with proper functioning in cognitive, affective and social domains (Fredrickson, 2001;Fredrickson et al, 2008). Furthermore, maladaptive positive emotional responses have been associated with psychological disorders like substance abuse (Winkler et al, 2011;Geier et al, 2000), depression (Aldao et al, 2010) and ADHD (Conzelmann et al, 2010;Conzelmann et al, 2011). Hence, further studies that investigate the impact of appraisal frames on emotional responses to pleasant stimuli would not only extend prior work, but may also have important implications for cognitive psychotherapy.…”

Sensorimotor gating of the startle reflex: what we said 25 years ago, what has happened since then, and what comes next

“…Swerdlow and Koob, 1987). However, it is also critical to note that PPI (and presumably its underlying neural regulation) appears to remain relatively intact, or at least functional, in a number of other serious brain disorders, including attention deficit disorder (ADHD; Castellanos et al, 1996; Conzelmann et al, 2010; Feifel et al, 2009; Hanlon et al, 2012; Ornitz et al, 1992, 1999), high functioning autism (Kohl et al 2014), bipolar disorder (in euthymic states; Barrett et al, 2005; Carroll et al, 2007; but see Sanchez-Morla et al, 2016), and major depressive disorder (Ludewig and Ludewig, 2003; Perry et al, 2004; Quednow et al, 2006), while evidence from chronic substance use disorders is mixed and likely to be substance specific (e.g. Quednow et al, 2004; Schellekens et al, 2012).…”

Effects of smoking abstinence on impulsive behavior among smokers high and low in ADHD-like symptoms

“…ADHD is behaviorally identified as developmentally inappropriate levels of impulsive actions (e.g., trouble waiting turns and interrupting others), hyperactivity (e.g., fidgety), and inattention (e.g., difficulty focusing, distractibility, and forgetfulness) (DSM-IVTR; APA, 2000). Empirically, ADHD is associated with impaired response inhibition (Hervey et al 2004; Lijffijt et al 2005), interference control (Conzelmann et al 2010; Hawk et al 2003), and greater delay discounting (Barkley et al 2001). The strong association between smoking and ADHD has led some to suggest that individuals with ADHD smoke to self-medicate symptoms of inattention and impulsivity.…”