Emotion Regulation via the Autonomic Nervous System in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Abstract

Despite growing interest in conceptualizing ADHD as involving disrupted emotion regulation, few studies have examined the physiological mechanisms related to emotion regulation in children with this disorder. This study examined parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system reactivity via measures of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and cardiac pre-ejection period (PEP) in children with ADHD (n=32) and typically developing controls (n=34), using a novel emotion task with four conditions: negative induction, negative suppression, positive induction, and positive suppression of affect. Both groups showed strong task-response effects in RSA. However, typically developing children showed systematic variation in parasympathetic activity (RSA) depending on both emotion valence (more activation for negative emotion, reduced activation for positive emotion) and task demand (more activation for suppression than induction). In contrast, children with ADHD displayed a stable pattern of elevated parasympathetic activity (RSA) across all task conditions compared to baseline. No group differences in sympathetic activity (PEP) were observed. It is concluded ADHD in childhood is associated with abnormal parasympathetic mechanisms involved in emotion regulation.

Sensitivity to parenting in adolescents with callous/unemotional traits: Observational and experimental findings.

“…This experimental manipulation varies the interpersonal stress and is analogous to studies of mood induction and emotional regulation (Musser et al, 2011) and with prior research on disruptive behavioral disorders across interpersonal settings (Wakschlag et al, 2008). Observed behaviors indicating anger/irritability and warmth/engagement were coded in each of the three settings by raters blind to all clinical and diagnostic data.…”

Heart Rate Variability in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Pilot Study

“…Some studies have assessed HRV in ADHD and have shown that there is autonomic dysregulation. Studies carried out by Shibagaki and Furuya [19] , Beauchaine et al [20] , Buchhorn et al [21,22] and Musser et al [23] showed decreased vagal tone in ADHD. However, studies carried out by Börger et al [24] , Crowell et al [25] , Negrao et al [26] and Wang et al [27] show that there is parasympathetic overarousal in ADHD.…”

Correlation between Conners' Parent Rating Scale and autonomic functions in ADHD before and after methylphenidate

“…The Methylphenidate is one of the most commonly used medications for ADHD treatment 5 . Studies on autonomic functions have shown that stimulant-free children with ADHD showed a sympathetic under arousal and parasympathetic over arousal relative to control subjects and Methylphenidate shifted the autonomic balance of children with ADHD towards normal levels [6][7][8] . The abbreviated version of…”