Revisiting the co-existence of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Chronic Tic Disorder in childhood—The case of colour discrimination, sustained attention and interference control

Abstract

ObjectiveAttention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Chronic Tic Disorder (CTD) are two common and frequently co-existing disorders, probably following an additive model. But this is not yet clear for the basic sensory function of colour processing sensitive to dopaminergic functioning in the retina and higher cognitive functions like attention and interference control. The latter two reflect important aspects for psychoeducation and behavioural treatment approaches.MethodsColour discrimination using the Farnsworth-Munsell 100-hue Test, sustained attention during the Frankfurt Attention Inventory (FAIR), and interference liability during Colour- and Counting-Stroop-Tests were assessed to further clarify the cognitive profile of the co-existence of ADHD and CTD. Altogether 69 children were classified into four groups: ADHD (N = 14), CTD (N = 20), ADHD+CTD (N = 20) and healthy Controls (N = 15) and compared in cognitive functioning in a 2×2-factorial statistical model.ResultsDifficulties with colour discrimination were associated with both ADHD and CTD factors following an additive model, but in ADHD these difficulties tended to be more pronounced on the blue-yellow axis. Attention problems were characteristic for ADHD but not CTD. Interference load was significant in both Colour- and Counting-Stroop-Tests and unrelated to colour discrimination. Compared to Controls, interference load in the Colour-Stroop was higher in pure ADHD and in pure CTD, but not in ADHD+CTD, following a sub-additive model. In contrast, interference load in the Counting-Stroop did not reveal ADHD or CTD effects.ConclusionThe co-existence of ADHD and CTD is characterized by additive as well as sub-additive performance impairments, suggesting that their co-existence may show simple additive characteristics of both disorders or a more complex interaction, depending on demand. The equivocal findings on interference control may indicate limited validity of the Stroop-Paradigm for clinical assessments.

A Review of the Neuropsychological Dimensions of Tourette Syndrome

“…Furthermore, the authors of this study reported that an additional diagnosis of ADHD in those patients worsened their attentional performance. Using a 2 × 2 factorial model, Uebel–von Sandersleben et al [ 78 ] found that sustained attention was impaired by the ADHD factor, but not the TS factor. However, impairments in sustained attention were also found in TS-only children [ 70 ], suggesting that some attentional deficits could be inherent to TS.…”

Association between ADHD and vision problems. A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Maron et al [ 20 ] recently confirmed the presence of oculomotor disturbances in people with ADHD compared to neurotypical individuals, especially for saccade inhibition and control, and visuo-spatial memory; considering that their systematic review and meta-analysis was published in 2021, we decided to not include, in our study, any study investigating eye movements in ADHD. There is also evidence of increased prevalence of vision problems [ 21 – 23 ] and disorders of vision such as strabismus [ 24 – 26 ], hyperopia [ 24 , 27 , 28 ], astigmatism [ 25 , 26 , 28 ], altered contrast sensitivity [ 29 , 30 ] and color vision [ 31 – 36 ] in ADHD. However, as of today, no meta-analysis has been conducted to systematically investigate the prevalence of vision disorders in ADHD, or whether ADHD is more prevalent in people with vision problems.…”

The influence of hypoxia and prolonged exercise on attentional performance at high and extreme altitudes: A pilot study

“…The task covers three main attentional functions, performance value (PV), continuity value ( CV) and quality value (QV). The PV reflects the error-corrected estimate of an attentively processed test item as an indicator of processing speed, the CV reflects the continuity of concentration held over the entire test duration, and the QV reflects the accuracy of attention as the amount of attentively made decisions in relation to the total number of decisions [ 25 , 28 ].…”