Thirty-day self-reported risky driving behaviors of ADHD and non-ADHD drivers.

PubMed

Rosenbloom, Tova; Wultz, Boaz

2011-01-01

The present study aims to compare differences in reported risky driving behaviors of drivers - males and females - having and not having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), by using a checklist of driving behaviors based on the Driving Behavior Questionnaire (DBQ). Unlike the studies which employ the DBQ by asking the subjects to fill the questionnaire once, in this present study, the participants were asked to report their behaviors on a daily basis for 30 consequent days. The checklist included two factors of risky driving behavior: Violation and Faults. Thirty-eight drivers - 10 males and 9 females with ADHD, and 9 males and 10 females without ADHD (N-ADHD) as control groups - participated in the study. The results showed that the mean of the unsafe behaviors of ADHD was higher, i.e., less safe driving, compared to that of N-ADHD. However, a statistically significant effect was found only between male ADHD and male N-ADHD for the Faults. In order to check the effect of the length of the study, the 30 days duration of the research was divided into three consecutive periods. The reported driving habits of the female ADHD showed safer behaviors than those of the males. Unlike the findings of N-ADHD of both genders, which showed a tendency towards safer driving reports in the three periods, both genders of the ADHD showed higher rates of Faults, i.e., a decrease in safety driving reports, in the three periods. The findings suggest that ADHD drivers differ from the N-ADHD drivers in making driving mistakes, i.e., Faults, due to their lack of sustained attention, but not in making Violations. However, some of the results in the present study were not very strong. Possible explanations for this as well as methodological considerations are discussed, and further research is suggested. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Self-esteem evaluation in children and adolescents suffering from ADHD.

PubMed

Mazzone, Luigi; Postorino, Valentina; Reale, Laura; Guarnera, Manuela; Mannino, Valeria; Armando, Marco; Fatta, Laura; De Peppo, Lavinia; Vicari, Stefano

2013-01-01

Several recent studies investigated the relationship between self-esteem and ADHD, however, the results are still controversial. In the present study we analyze the characteristics of self-esteem in a sample of children and adolescents suffering from ADHD, with a particular focus on the relationship between ADHD symptoms severity and treatment strategies. A total of 85 patients with ADHD (44 drug-free and 41 drug-treated, 23 of which atomoxetine-treated and 18 Methylphenidate-treated) and 26 healthy controls were enrolled in the study in order to evaluate self-esteem using the Self-esteem Multidimensional Test (TMA). ADHD subjects revealed lower scores on all self-esteem domains compared to controls. Both ADHD drug-free (47.1%) and ADHD drug-treated (44.1%) groups showed significantly higher rates of subjects in the pathological range as compared to normal control group (8.8%) (p <.001) with a higher percentage of subjects in the pathological range. Among ADHD drug-treated subjects, the methylphenidate group showed higher self-esteem scores as compared to the atomoxetine group. A lower self-esteem profile is more common in subjects suffering from ADHD than in healthy controls, suggesting the importance of an early detection of psychological well-being in these children in order to reduce the ADHD symptoms long-term impacts.

Maternal ADHD, parenting, and psychopathology among mothers of adolescents with ADHD

PubMed Central

Babinski, Dara E.; Pelham, William E.; Molina, Brooke S.G.; Gnagy, Elizabeth M.; Waschbusch, Daniel A.; Wymbs, Brian T.; Sibley, Margaret H.; Derefinko, Karen J.; Kuriyan, Aparajita B.

2012-01-01

Objective This study describes the parenting and psychopathology of mothers with ADHD of adolescents with ADHD (MCA), non-ADHD mothers of adolescents with ADHD (CA), and non-ADHD mothers of adolescents without ADHD (COMP). Method Two sets of pairwise comparisons: 1) COMP vs. CA and 2) CA vs. MCA were conducted. We hypothesized that CA would experience greater distress in parenting and psychopathology compared to COMP, and that MCA would experience even more impairment compared to CA. Results Few differences emerged in comparisons of CA and COMP, with the exception of CA reporting greater parent-adolescent conflict and internalizing problems. In contrast, differences consistently emerged in comparisons of MCA and CA showing more difficulty for MCA in parenting and psychopathology. Conclusion These findings underscore the need for treatments that address parental ADHD when adolescent ADHD is the intended target. PMID:23160485

Reducing ADHD Children's Management Problems in Out-of-Home Settings.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kapalka, George M.

This report discusses the outcomes of a study that investigated a procedure designed to help manage children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in out-of-home settings. Forty-four parents of children (ages 5-10) diagnosed with ADHD hyperactive-impulsive or combined types participated. Portions of the Barkley Home Situations…

Mindfulness programming for parents and teachers of children with ADHD.

PubMed

Miller, Carlin J; Brooker, Brianne

2017-08-01

Parents and teachers of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at-risk for a range of suboptimal psychosocial outcomes, including mental health difficulties and heightened stress, problems perhaps ameliorated through mindfulness-based programming. To show pilot data from an investigation of the outcomes of a purpose-built mindfulness training for parents and teachers of children with ADHD (N = 26). The program represents a purpose-driven modification of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) curriculum. Namely, we reduced participant time commitment and added psychoeducation about ADHD with brief parent training. The measurement protocol included measures of stress, anxiety, depression, and mindfulness. Following the 8-week program, parents and teachers reported reduced perceived stress, reduced self-reported anxiety, and improvements in some facets of mindfulness. The work highlights the promise of specialized mindfulness-based interventions in promoting positive psychosocial outcomes in specific at-risk groups, such as the carers of children with ADHD. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Self-Esteem Evaluation in Children and Adolescents Suffering from ADHD

PubMed Central

Mazzone, Luigi; Postorino, Valentina; Reale, Laura; Guarnera, Manuela; Mannino, Valeria; Armando, Marco; Fatta, Laura; De Peppo, Lavinia; Vicari, Stefano

2013-01-01

Background: Several recent studies investigated the relationship between self-esteem and ADHD, however, the results are still controversial. In the present study we analyze the characteristics of self-esteem in a sample of children and adolescents suffering from ADHD, with a particular focus on the relationship between ADHD symptoms severity and treatment strategies. Methods: A total of 85 patients with ADHD (44 drug-free and 41 drug-treated, 23 of which atomoxetine-treated and 18 Methylphenidate-treated) and 26 healthy controls were enrolled in the study in order to evaluate self-esteem using the Self-esteem Multidimensional Test (TMA). Results: ADHD subjects revealed lower scores on all self-esteem domains compared to controls. Both ADHD drug-free (47.1%) and ADHD drug-treated (44.1%) groups showed significantly higher rates of subjects in the pathological range as compared to normal control group (8.8%) (p <.001) with a higher percentage of subjects in the pathological range. Among ADHD drug-treated subjects, the methylphenidate group showed higher self-esteem scores as compared to the atomoxetine group. Conclusion: A lower self-esteem profile is more common in subjects suffering from ADHD than in healthy controls, suggesting the importance of an early detection of psychological well-being in these children in order to reduce the ADHD symptoms long-term impacts. PMID:23878614

The ADHD Concomitant Difficulties Scale (ADHD-CDS), a Brief Scale to Measure Comorbidity Associated to ADHD.

PubMed

Fenollar-Cortés, Javier; Fuentes, Luis J

2016-01-01

Although the critical feature of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity/impulsivity behavior, the disorder is clinically heterogeneous, and concomitant difficulties are common. Children with ADHD are at increased risk for experiencing lifelong impairments in multiple domains of daily functioning. In the present study we aimed to build a brief ADHD impairment-related tool -ADHD concomitant difficulties scale (ADHD-CDS)- to assess the presence of some of the most important comorbidities that usually appear associated with ADHD such as emotional/motivational management, fine motor coordination, problem-solving/management of time, disruptive behavior, sleep habits, academic achievement and quality of life. The two main objectives of the study were (i) to discriminate those profiles with several and important ADHD functional difficulties and (ii) to create a brief clinical tool that fosters a comprehensive evaluation process and can be easily used by clinicians. The total sample included 399 parents of children with ADHD aged 6-18 years (M = 11.65; SD = 3.1; 280 males) and 297 parents of children without a diagnosis of ADHD (M = 10.91; SD = 3.2; 149 male). The scale construction followed an item improved sequential process. Factor analysis showed a 13-item single factor model with good fit indices. Higher scores on inattention predicted higher scores on ADHD-CDS for both the clinical sample (β = 0.50; p < 0.001) and the whole sample (β = 0.85; p < 0.001). The ROC curve for the ADHD-CDS (against the ADHD diagnostic status) gave an area under the curve (AUC) of.979 (95%, CI = [0.969, 0.990]). The ADHD-CDS has shown preliminary adequate psychometric properties, with high convergent validity and good sensitivity for different ADHD profiles, which makes it a potentially appropriate and brief instrument that may be easily used by clinicians, researchers, and health professionals in dealing with ADHD.

The ADHD Concomitant Difficulties Scale (ADHD-CDS), a Brief Scale to Measure Comorbidity Associated to ADHD

PubMed Central

Fenollar-Cortés, Javier; Fuentes, Luis J.

2016-01-01

Introduction: Although the critical feature of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity/impulsivity behavior, the disorder is clinically heterogeneous, and concomitant difficulties are common. Children with ADHD are at increased risk for experiencing lifelong impairments in multiple domains of daily functioning. In the present study we aimed to build a brief ADHD impairment-related tool -ADHD concomitant difficulties scale (ADHD-CDS)- to assess the presence of some of the most important comorbidities that usually appear associated with ADHD such as emotional/motivational management, fine motor coordination, problem-solving/management of time, disruptive behavior, sleep habits, academic achievement and quality of life. The two main objectives of the study were (i) to discriminate those profiles with several and important ADHD functional difficulties and (ii) to create a brief clinical tool that fosters a comprehensive evaluation process and can be easily used by clinicians. Methods: The total sample included 399 parents of children with ADHD aged 6–18 years (M = 11.65; SD = 3.1; 280 males) and 297 parents of children without a diagnosis of ADHD (M = 10.91; SD = 3.2; 149 male). The scale construction followed an item improved sequential process. Results: Factor analysis showed a 13-item single factor model with good fit indices. Higher scores on inattention predicted higher scores on ADHD-CDS for both the clinical sample (β = 0.50; p < 0.001) and the whole sample (β = 0.85; p < 0.001). The ROC curve for the ADHD-CDS (against the ADHD diagnostic status) gave an area under the curve (AUC) of.979 (95%, CI = [0.969, 0.990]). Discussion: The ADHD-CDS has shown preliminary adequate psychometric properties, with high convergent validity and good sensitivity for different ADHD profiles, which makes it a potentially appropriate and brief instrument that may be easily used by clinicians, researchers, and

Event-Related-Potential (ERP) Correlates of Performance Monitoring in Adults With Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

PubMed Central

Marquardt, Lynn; Eichele, Heike; Lundervold, Astri J.; Haavik, Jan; Eichele, Tom

2018-01-01

Introduction: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most frequent neurodevelopmental disorders in children and tends to persist into adulthood. Evidence from neuropsychological, neuroimaging, and electrophysiological studies indicates that alterations of error processing are core symptoms in children and adolescents with ADHD. To test whether adults with ADHD show persisting deficits and compensatory processes, we investigated performance monitoring during stimulus-evaluation and response-selection, with a focus on errors, as well as within-group correlations with symptom scores. Methods: Fifty-five participants (27 ADHD and 28 controls) aged 19–55 years performed a modified flanker task during EEG recording with 64 electrodes, and the ADHD and control groups were compared on measures of behavioral task performance, event-related potentials of performance monitoring (N2, P3), and error processing (ERN, Pe). Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) was used to assess ADHD symptom load. Results: Adults with ADHD showed higher error rates in incompatible trials, and these error rates correlated positively with the ASRS scores. Also, we observed lower P3 amplitudes in incompatible trials, which were inversely correlated with symptom load in the ADHD group. Adults with ADHD also displayed reduced error-related ERN and Pe amplitudes. There were no significant differences in reaction time (RT) and RT variability between the two groups. Conclusion: Our findings show deviations of electrophysiological measures, suggesting reduced effortful engagement of attentional and error-monitoring processes in adults with ADHD. Associations between ADHD symptom scores, event-related potential amplitudes, and poorer task performance in the ADHD group further support this notion. PMID:29706908

Treating ADHD | NIH MedlinePlus the Magazine

MedlinePlus

... this page please turn JavaScript on. Feature: Understanding ADHD Treating ADHD Past Issues / Spring 2014 Table of Contents Currently available treatments aim at reducing the symptoms of ADHD and improving functioning. Treatments include medication, various types ...

Treating ADHD With Suggestion: Neurofeedback and Placebo Therapeutics.

PubMed

Thibault, Robert T; Veissière, Samuel; Olson, Jay A; Raz, Amir

2018-06-01

We propose that clinicians can use suggestion to help treat conditions such as ADHD. We use EEG neurofeedback as a case study, alongside evidence from a recent pilot experiment utilizing a sham MRI scanner to highlight the therapeutic potential of suggestion-based treatments. The medical literature demonstrates that many practitioners already prescribe treatments that hardly outperform placebo comparators. Moreover, the sham MRI experiment showed that, even with full disclosure of the procedure, suggestion alone can reduce the symptomatology of ADHD. Non-deceptive suggestion-based treatments, especially those drawing on accessories from neuroscience, may offer a safe complement and potential alternative to current standard of care for individuals with ADHD.

Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness in Children With ADHD.

PubMed

Hergüner, Arzu; Alpfidan, İsmail; Yar, Ahmet; Erdoğan, Erkan; Metin, Özge; Sakarya, Yaşar; Hergüner, Sabri

2018-05-01

The current study aims to compare retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, macular thickness, and macular volume between children with ADHD and a control group. The study group included children with ADHD and the control group consisted of age- and gender-matched participants without any psychiatric disorder. In all participants, RNFL thickness, macular thickness, and macular volume were measured by using spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). ADHD symptom severity was evaluated by using parent-report measures, including Conners' Parent Rating Scale-Revised: Short Form (CPRS-R: S) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: Parent Form (SDQ: P). We compared 90 eyes of 45 children with ADHD and 90 eyes of 45 controls. ADHD group had significantly lower RNFL thickness only in nasal quadrant than the controls. The remaining RNFL quadrants, macular thickness, and volume were not significantly different between groups. There was a reverse correlation between RNFL thickness and ADHD symptom severity. This is the first study examining the RNFL thickness in ADHD. Our findings showed that nasal RNFL thickness was lower, indicating reduced unmyelinated axons in the retina of children with ADHD. The results of this study support the evidence that ADHD involves a lag in cortical maturation and this is measurable in the retina.

Neural correlates of inhibitory control in adult ADHD: Evidence from the Milwaukee longitudinal sample

PubMed Central

Mulligan, Richard C.; Knopik, Valerie S.; Sweet, Lawrence H.; Fischer, Mariellen; Seidenberg, Michael; Rao, Stephen M.

2011-01-01

Only a few studies have investigated the neural substrate of response inhibition in adult ADHD using Stop-Signal and Go/No-Go tasks. Inconsistencies and methodological limitations in the existing literature have resulted in limited conclusions regarding underlying pathophysiology. We examined the neural basis of response inhibition in a group of adults diagnosed with ADHD in childhood and who continue to meet criteria for ADHD while addressing limitations present in earlier studies. Adults with ADHD (n=12) and controls (n=12) were recruited from an ongoing longitudinal study and were matched for age, IQ, and education. Individuals with comorbid conditions were excluded. Functional MRI was used to identify and compare the brain activation patterns during correct trials of a response inhibition task (Go/No-Go). Our results showed that the control group recruited a more extensive network of brain regions than the ADHD group during correct inhibition trials. Adults with ADHD showed reduced brain activation in the right frontal eye field, pre-supplementary motor area, left precentral gyrus, and the inferior parietal lobe bilaterally. During successful inhibition of an inappropriate response, adults with ADHD display reduced activation in fronto-parietal networks previously implicated in working memory, goal-oriented attention, and response selection. This profile of brain activation may be specifically associated with ADHD in adulthood. PMID:21937201

Long-term consequences of childhood ADHD on criminal activities.

PubMed

Fletcher, Jason; Wolfe, Barbara

2009-09-01

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent mental health problems facing children. Little is known of the long-term consequences of ADHD on young adult outcomes. We examine the associations between childhood ADHD symptoms and criminal activities as a young adult. We use a nationally representative study of US adolescents and logistic regression analysis to examine our research question. We also control for common family factors using sibling random and fixed effects and test the robustness of our results in several ways. The empirical estimates show that children who experience ADHD symptoms face a substantially increased likelihood of engaging in many types of criminal activities. An included calculation of the social costs associated with criminal activities by individuals with childhood ADHD finds the costs to be substantial. Our study provides the first evidence using a nationally representative dataset of the long term consequences on criminal activities of childhood ADHD. Our results are quite robust to a number of specification checks. Limitations of our study include that our measures of ADHD are retrospective, we have no information on treatment for ADHD, and it remains possible that our results are confounded by unmeasured variables. Our results suggest that children showing ADHD symptoms should be viewed as a group at high risk of poor outcomes as young adults. As such, a good case can be made for targeting intervention programs on this group of children and conducting evaluations to learn if such interventions are effective in reducing the probability that these children commit a crime. Development of such intervention programs and evaluating them for efficiency could be dollars well spent in terms of crime and drug abuse averted.

Evidence for shared genetic risk between ADHD symptoms and reduced mathematics ability: a twin study

PubMed Central

Greven, Corina U.; Kovas, Yulia; Willcutt, Erik G.; Petrill, Stephen A.; Plomin, Robert

2013-01-01

Background Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and mathematics ability are associated, but little is known about the genetic and environmental influences underlying this association. Methods Data came from more than 6,000 12-year-old twin pairs from the U.K. population-representative Twins Early Development Study. Parents rated each twin’s behaviour using a DSM-IV-based 18-item questionnaire of inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive ADHD symptoms. Mathematics tests based on the U.K. National Curriculum were completed by each twin. The twins also completed standardised tests of reading and general cognitive ability. Multivariate twin model fitting was applied. Results Inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive ADHD symptoms were highly heritable (67% and 73%, respectively). Mathematics ability was moderately heritable (46%). Mathematics ability and inattentiveness showed a significantly greater phenotypic correlation (rp=−0.26) and genetic correlation (rA=−0.41) than mathematics ability and hyperactivity-impulsivity (rp=−0.18; rA=−0.22). The genetic correlation between inattentiveness and mathematics ability was largely independent from hyperactivity-impulsivity, and was only partially accounted for by genetic influences related to reading and general cognitive ability. Conclusions Results revealed the novel finding that mathematics ability shows significantly stronger phenotypic and genetic associations with inattentiveness than with hyperactivity-impulsivity. Genetic associations between inattentiveness and mathematics ability could only partially be accounted for by hyperactivity-impulsivity, reading and general cognitive ability. Results suggest that mathematics ability is associated with ADHD symptoms largely because it shares genetic risk factors with inattentiveness, and provide further evidence for considering inattentiveness and hyperactivity-impulsivity separately. DNA markers for ADHD symptoms (especially inattentiveness) may also

Evidence for shared genetic risk between ADHD symptoms and reduced mathematics ability: a twin study.

PubMed

Greven, Corina U; Kovas, Yulia; Willcutt, Erik G; Petrill, Stephen A; Plomin, Robert

2014-01-01

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and mathematics ability are associated, but little is known about the genetic and environmental influences underlying this association. Data came from more than 6,000 twelve-year-old twin pairs from the UK population-representative Twins Early Development Study. Parents rated each twin's behaviour using a DSM-IV-based 18-item questionnaire of inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive ADHD symptoms. Mathematics tests based on the UK National Curriculum were completed by each twin. The twins also completed standardised tests of reading and general cognitive ability. Multivariate twin model fitting was applied. Inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive ADHD symptoms were highly heritable (67% and 73% respectively). Mathematics ability was moderately heritable (46%). Mathematics ability and inattentiveness showed a significantly greater phenotypic correlation (r(p) = -.26) and genetic correlation (r(A) = -.41) than mathematics ability and hyperactivity-impulsivity (r(p) = -.18; r(A) = -.22). The genetic correlation between inattentiveness and mathematics ability was largely independent from hyperactivity-impulsivity, and was only partially accounted for by genetic influences related to reading and general cognitive ability. Results revealed the novel finding that mathematics ability shows significantly stronger phenotypic and genetic associations with inattentiveness than with hyperactivity-impulsivity. Genetic associations between inattentiveness and mathematics ability could only partially be accounted for by hyperactivity-impulsivity, reading and general cognitive ability. Results suggest that mathematics ability is associated with ADHD symptoms largely because it shares genetic risk factors with inattentiveness, and provide further evidence for considering inattentiveness and hyperactivity-impulsivity separately. DNA markers for ADHD symptoms (especially inattentiveness) may also be candidate risk factors for

ADHD

MedlinePlus

ADHD Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Fact Sheet Learn about ADHD and what to do if you have concerns. What is ADHD? Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurobehavioral ...

A Preliminary Neuroimaging Study of Preschool Children with ADHD

PubMed Central

E.M., Mahone; D., Crocetti; M.E., Ranta; A., Gaddis; M., Cataldo; K.J., Slifer; M.B., Denckla; S.H., Mostofsky

2012-01-01

Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a developmental disorder which, by current definition, has onset prior to age 7 years. MRI studies have provided some insight into brain differences associated with ADHD, but thus far have almost exclusively focused on children ages 7 years and older. To better understand the neurobiological development of ADHD, cortical and subcortical brain development should be systematically examined in younger children presenting with symptoms of the disorder. High resolution anatomical (MPRAGE) images, acquired on a 3.0T scanner, were analyzed in a total of 26 preschoolers, ages 4–5 years (13 with ADHD, 13 controls, matched on age and sex). The ADHD sample was diagnosed using DSM-IV criteria, and screened for language disorders. Cortical regions were delineated and measured using automated methods in Freesurfer; basal ganglia structures were manually delineated. Children with ADHD showed significantly reduced caudate volumes bilaterally; in contrast, there were no significant group differences in cortical volume or thickness in this age range. After controlling for age and total cerebral volume, left caudate volume was a significant predictor of hyperactive/impulsive, but not inattentive symptom severity. Anomalous basal ganglia, particularly caudate, development appears to play an important role among children presenting with early onset symptoms of ADHD. PMID:21660881

Self-Esteem, Self-Efficacy, and Resources in Adults With ADHD.

PubMed

Newark, Patricia Elizabeth; Elsässer, Marina; Stieglitz, Rolf-Dieter

2016-03-01

The purpose of this study is to shed light on therapy-relevant factors, such as self-esteem, self-efficacy, and resources in adults with ADHD in comparison with a healthy control group. A total of 43 adults who met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text rev.; DSM-IV-TR) criteria for ADHD in adulthood were matched with a nonclinical sample in terms of age and gender. All participants (N = 86) were assessed with self-ratings: Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, General Perceived Self-Efficacy Scale, and Dick's Resources Checklist. Adults with ADHD showed lower levels of self-esteem and self-efficacy when compared with the control group. The authors found some, but not all, of the resources of adults with ADHD to be reduced. In other words, people with ADHD seem to possess specific resources. Our results have important implications for the treatment of adult ADHD and suggest that specific therapy programs should include resources-oriented modules for enhancing self-esteem, self-efficacy, and fostering strengths. © The Author(s) 2012.

Longer Eye Contact Improves ADHD Children's Compliance with Parents' Commands

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kapalka, G. M.

2004-01-01

This study evaluated the effectiveness of eye contact in reducing ADHD children's problems with compliance. Seventy-six parents of ADHD boys between ages 5 and 10 were randomized into two treatment groups and a control group. Repeated-measures ANOVA revealed that, as hypothesized, eye contact was effective in reducing ADHD children's problems with…

School-Based Administration of ADHD Drugs Decline, along with Diversion, Theft, and Misuse

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DuPont, Robert L.; Bucher, Richard H.; Wilford, Bonnie B.; Coleman, John J.

2007-01-01

Since 2000 researchers have reported a decline in the administration of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medications given by school nurses, although no decline has been noted in the incidence of ADHD in school-age populations. Government data for the same period show reduced levels of methylphenidate abuse as measured by its…

The impact of ADHD on the health and well-being of ADHD children and their siblings.

PubMed

Peasgood, Tessa; Bhardwaj, Anupam; Biggs, Katie; Brazier, John E; Coghill, David; Cooper, Cindy L; Daley, David; De Silva, Cyril; Harpin, Val; Hodgkins, Paul; Nadkarni, Amulya; Setyawan, Juliana; Sonuga-Barke, Edmund J S

2016-11-01

Childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been associated with reduced health and well-being of patients and their families. The authors undertook a large UK survey-based observational study of the burden associated with childhood ADHD. The impact of ADHD on both the patient (N = 476) and their siblings (N = 337) on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and happiness was quantified using multiple standard measures [e.g. child health utility-9D (CHU-9D), EuroQol-5D-Youth]. In the analysis, careful statistical adjustments were made to ensure a like-for-like comparison of ADHD families with two different control groups. We controlled for carers' ADHD symptoms, their employment and relationship status and siblings' ADHD symptoms. ADHD was associated with a significant deficit in the patient's HRQoL (with a CHU-9D score of around 6 % lower). Children with ADHD also have less sleep and were less happy with their family and their lives overall. No consistent decrement to the HRQoL of the siblings was identified across the models, except that related to their own conduct problems. The siblings do, however, report lower happiness with life overall and with their family, even when controlling for the siblings own ADHD symptoms. We also find evidence of elevated bullying between siblings in families with a child with ADHD. Overall, the current results suggest that the reduction in quality of life caused by ADHD is experienced both by the child with ADHD and their siblings.

Occurrence of ADHD in parents of ADHD children in a clinical sample.

PubMed

Starck, Martina; Grünwald, Julia; Schlarb, Angelika A

2016-01-01

Despite the fact that there is a large amount of research on childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) treatment and an increasing amount of research on adult ADHD, little is known about the prevalence and influence of parental ADHD. Therefore, this study examined the frequency of parental ADHD in a clinical sample of German children suffering from ADHD. We also tried to find different levels of symptom severity for prognostic relevance. Furthermore, the association between subtypes of ADHD in children and their parents was investigated. In this study, parents of 79 ADHD children were screened for ADHD according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition and International Classification of Diseases, 10th edition. The Wender Utah Rating Scale and the ADHS-Self-Report were given to 75 mothers and 49 fathers for retrospective and current symptoms. Frequency of ADHD symptoms and severity groups was calculated and relationship between parental and children's ADHD was tested. ADHD occurrence for mothers of children with ADHD was 41.3%, for fathers 51.0%. About 16.0% of the mothers had a mixed type, 9.3% had a hyperactive-impulsive subtype, and 16.0% had an inattentive subtype. Of the fathers, 18.4% had a mixed type, 10.2% had a hyperactive-impulsive subtype, and 22.4% had an inattentive subtype; 61% of the mothers and 46.9% of the fathers had low symptom severity. Medium symptom severity was reported by 37.7% mothers and 46.9% fathers, while 1.3% of the mothers and 6.2% of the fathers showed severe symptoms. No significant correlation between parental and child diagnoses was observed. As nearly half of the parents suffered from ADHD, these results are a matter of concern in families with ADHD children. Besides parent-child interactions, parental ADHD symptoms might influence parental education style and also effects parent training as well as the child's therapy outcome. In the future, parents should be screened for ADHD

Distinct frontal lobe morphology in girls and boys with ADHD.

PubMed

Dirlikov, Benjamin; Shiels Rosch, Keri; Crocetti, Deana; Denckla, Martha B; Mahone, E Mark; Mostofsky, Stewart H

2015-01-01

This study investigated whether frontal lobe cortical morphology differs for boys and girls with ADHD (ages 8-12 years) in comparison to typically developing (TD) peers. Participants included 226 children between the ages of 8-12 including 93 children with ADHD (29 girls) and 133 TD children (42 girls) for which 3T MPRAGE MRI scans were obtained. A fully automated frontal lobe atlas was used to generate functionally distinct frontal subdivisions, with surface area (SA) and cortical thickness (CT) assessed in each region. Analyses focused on overall diagnostic differences as well as examinations of the effect of diagnosis within boys and girls. Girls, but not boys, with ADHD showed overall reductions in total prefrontal cortex (PFC) SA. Localization revealed that girls showed widely distributed reductions in the bilateral dorsolateral PFC, left inferior lateral PFC, right medial PFC, right orbitofrontal cortex, and left anterior cingulate; and boys showed reduced SA only in the right anterior cingulate and left medial PFC. In contrast, boys, but not girls, with ADHD showed overall reductions in total premotor cortex (PMC) SA. Further localization revealed that in boys, premotor reductions were observed in bilateral lateral PMC regions; and in girls reductions were observed in bilateral supplementary motor complex. In line with diagnostic group differences, PMC and PFC SAs were inversely correlated with symptom severity in both girls and boys with ADHD. These results elucidate sex-based differences in cortical morphology of functional subdivisions of the frontal lobe and provide additional evidence of associations among SA and symptom severity in children with ADHD.

Mindfulness vs psychoeducation in adult ADHD: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Hoxhaj, E; Sadohara, C; Borel, P; D'Amelio, R; Sobanski, E; Müller, H; Feige, B; Matthies, S; Philipsen, Alexandra

2018-06-01

Mindfulness training is a promising treatment approach in adult ADHD. However, there has not yet been a randomized controlled trial comparing mindfulness to an active control condition. In this study, we assessed the efficacy of a mindfulness training program (MAP) compared to structured psychoeducation (PE). After randomization 81 medication-free adult ADHD patients participated either in an 8-week MAP or PE group program. At baseline (T1), after 8 weeks (T2) and after 8 months (T3), severity of ADHD and associated symptoms (depression, general psychopathology, quality of life) were measured with the Conner's ADHD Rating Scales (CAARS), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) and the SF-36 by self and blind observer ratings. Both groups showed significant pre-post improvements in observer-rated Inattention scale (p < .001, partial η 2  = 0.18) and in associated symptomatology, which persisted through 6 months of follow-up. There were no significant differences regarding symptom reduction between the treatment groups. Women benefited more compared to men irrespective of treatment group. Men showed the most pronounced changes under MAP. In the current study, MAP was not superior to PE regarding symptom reduction in adult ADHD. Both interventions, mindfulness meditation and PE, were efficacious in reducing symptom load in adult ADHD. Furthermore in exploratory post hoc tests the study provides evidence for a potential gender-specific treatment response in adult ADHD.

Development of the Subtle ADHD Malingering Screener.

PubMed

Ramachandran, Sujith; Holmes, Erin R; Rosenthal, Meagen; Banahan, Benjamin F; Young, John; Bentley, John P

2018-05-01

The objective of this study was to develop a subtle self-report scale-the Subtle ADHD Malingering Screener (SAMS)-to screen for malingering among individuals reporting symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study employed a cross-sectional experimental design with an ADHD group, a control group-comprising individuals without ADHD-and a malingering group-comprising individuals without ADHD who were instructed to feign ADHD in their responses. Factor analysis and psychometric testing were conducted to develop a final scale that could distinguish the malingering from the other groups. A 10-item, two-factor solution was obtained for the SAMS, with a sensitivity of 90.3% and specificity of 80.1%. The SAMS presents an innovative approach to help reduce overdiagnosis of ADHD and misuse of prescription stimulants. The efficient, straightforward form of the measure particularly enhances its potential application in both medical and psychosocial clinical settings.

Cannabis use and adult ADHD symptoms.

PubMed

Fergusson, David M; Boden, Joseph M

2008-05-01

The present study examined the associations between cannabis use in adolescence and young adulthood and self-reported adult attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in adulthood. A 25-year prospective longitudinal study of the health, development, and adjustment of a birth cohort of 1265 New Zealand children. Measures included assessments of adolescent and young adult cannabis use and ADHD symptoms at age 25, measures of childhood socioeconomic disadvantage, family adversity, childhood and early adolescent behavioural adjustment and cognitive ability, and adolescent and young adult other drug use. Cannabis use by age 25 was significantly (p<.0001) associated with increasing self-reported adult ADHD symptoms at age 25. Adjustment of the association for potentially confounding factors from childhood and early adolescence reduced the magnitude of the association, but it remained statistically significant (p<.0001). However, control for the mediating effects of other drug use in adolescence and early adulthood reduced the association between cannabis use and adult ADHD symptoms to statistical non-significance (p>.20). The current study suggested that the association between cannabis use and adult ADHD symptoms was mediated by other substance use that was associated with cannabis use. The results suggest that cannabis use leads to other drug use, which in turn leads to increased ADHD symptoms. However, it should be noted that the potential influence of such factors as genetic predispositions may still be unaccounted for.

Reduced Capacity in a Dichotic Memory Test for Adult Patients with ADHD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dige, Niels; Maahr, Eija; Backenroth-Ohsako, Gunnel

2010-01-01

Objective: To evaluate whether a dichotic memory test would reveal deficits in short-term working-memory recall and long-term memory recall in a group of adult patients with ADHD. Methods: A dichotic memory test with ipsilateral backward speech distraction in an adult ADHD group (n = 69) and a control group (n = 66) is used to compare performance…

Arousal-state modulation in children with AD/HD.

PubMed

Benikos, Nicholas; Johnstone, Stuart J

2009-01-01

To investigate the effect of arousal-state modulation, via manipulation of stimulus event-rate, on response inhibition in children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) using behavioural and ERP measures. Eighteen children with AD/HD, aged 7-14years, and 18 age-and sex-matched controls performed a cued visual Go/Nogo task (70% Go) with stimuli presented at fast, medium and slow event-rates. Task performance and ERPs to Warning, Go and Nogo stimuli, as well as preparation between the S1-S2 interval, were examined for group differences. AD/HD subjects displayed poorer response inhibition during the fast condition, accompanied by a reduced Nogo P3. Group differences during the fast rate extended to Warning cues, with the AD/HD group showing ERP evidence of atypical orienting/preparation, as indexed by the early and late CNV, and early sensory/attentive processing prior to S2. Although deficient response inhibition has been proposed as the core deficit in AD/HD, the results of the present study highlight the key role of energetic factors. Furthermore, group differences found to cues suggest that this effect extends to the processing of task-irrelevant stimuli. This was the first ERP Go/Nogo task investigation using three event-rates, and the results support the theory that state factors may contribute to response inhibition deficits in AD/HD.

Working Memory Influences Processing Speed and Reading Fluency in ADHD

PubMed Central

Jacobson, Lisa A.; Ryan, Matthew; Martin, Rebecca B.; Ewen, Joshua; Mostofsky, Stewart H.; Denckla, Martha B.; Mahone, E. Mark

2012-01-01

Processing speed deficits affect reading efficiency, even among individuals who recognize and decode words accurately. Children with ADHD who decode words accurately can still have inefficient reading fluency, leading to a bottleneck in other cognitive processes. This “slowing” in ADHD is associated with deficits in fundamental components of executive function underlying processing speed, including response selection. The purpose of the present study was to deconstruct processing speed in order to determine which components of executive control best explain the “processing” speed deficits related to reading fluency in ADHD. Participants (41 ADHD, 21 controls), ages 9-14, screened for language disorders, word reading deficits, and psychiatric disorders, were administered measures of copying speed, processing speed, reading fluency, working memory, reaction time, inhibition, and auditory attention span. Compared to controls, children with ADHD showed reduced oral and silent reading fluency, and reduced processing speed—driven primarily by deficits on WISC-IV Coding. In contrast, groups did not differ on copying speed. After controlling for copying speed, sex, severity of ADHD-related symptomatology, and GAI, slowed “processing” speed (i.e., Coding) was significantly associated with verbal span and measures of working memory, but not with measures of response control/inhibition, lexical retrieval speed, reaction time, or intra-subject variability. Further, “processing” speed (i.e., Coding, residualized for copying speed) and working memory were significant predictors of oral reading fluency. Abnormalities in working memory and response selection (which are frontally-mediated and enter into the output side of processing speed) may play an important role in deficits in reading fluency in ADHD, potentially more than posteriorally-mediated problems with orienting of attention or perceiving the stimulus. PMID:21287422

Working memory influences processing speed and reading fluency in ADHD.

PubMed

Jacobson, Lisa A; Ryan, Matthew; Martin, Rebecca B; Ewen, Joshua; Mostofsky, Stewart H; Denckla, Martha B; Mahone, E Mark

2011-01-01

Processing-speed deficits affect reading efficiency, even among individuals who recognize and decode words accurately. Children with ADHD who decode words accurately can still have inefficient reading fluency, leading to a bottleneck in other cognitive processes. This "slowing" in ADHD is associated with deficits in fundamental components of executive function underlying processing speed, including response selection. The purpose of the present study was to deconstruct processing speed in order to determine which components of executive control best explain the "processing" speed deficits related to reading fluency in ADHD. Participants (41 ADHD, 21 controls), ages 9-14 years, screened for language disorders, word reading deficits, and psychiatric disorders, were administered measures of copying speed, processing speed, reading fluency, working memory, reaction time, inhibition, and auditory attention span. Compared to controls, children with ADHD showed reduced oral and silent reading fluency and reduced processing speed-driven primarily by deficits on WISC-IV Coding. In contrast, groups did not differ on copying speed. After controlling for copying speed, sex, severity of ADHD-related symptomatology, and GAI, slowed "processing" speed (i.e., Coding) was significantly associated with verbal span and measures of working memory but not with measures of response control/inhibition, lexical retrieval speed, reaction time, or intrasubject variability. Further, "processing" speed (i.e., Coding, residualized for copying speed) and working memory were significant predictors of oral reading fluency. Abnormalities in working memory and response selection (which are frontally mediated and enter into the output side of processing speed) may play an important role in deficits in reading fluency in ADHD, potentially more than posteriorally mediated problems with orienting of attention or perceiving the stimulus.

Impulsivity in Alcohol-Dependent Patients with and without ADHD: The Role of Atomoxetine.

PubMed

Coppola, Maurizio; Mondola, Raffaella

2018-06-07

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by symptoms of hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity. As shown in the literature, this disorder is frequently associated with alcohol and drug abuse. Patients affected by ADHD show high levels of impulsivity and sensation seeking. These characteristics can significantly increase the risk of alcohol abuse, which is itself a clinical condition associated with high levels of impulsivity. Clinical studies suggest that atomoxetine is effective and safe in patients affected by both ADHD and alcohol dependence; however, information focused specifically on impulsivity is very limited. In an open-label study, we evaluated the difference in impulsivity level between alcohol-dependent patients with and without a diagnosis of ADHD. Furthermore, we hypothesized that, in patients with ADHD, atomoxetine could reduce the impulsivity trait.

ADHD

MedlinePlus

... ADHD? Everyone has trouble at times with paying attention, listening, or waiting. But people with ADHD have ... is a medical condition that affects a person's attention and self-control. Because of ADHD, people have ...

Reduced intrasubject variability with reinforcement in boys, but not girls, with ADHD: Associations with prefrontal anatomy

PubMed Central

Rosch, Keri S.; Dirlikov, Benjamin; Mostofsky, Stewart H.

2015-01-01

This study examined the impact of motivational contingencies (reinforcement and punishment) on Go/No-Go (GNG) task performance in girls and boys with ADHD relative to typically developing (TD) children and associations with prefrontal anatomy. Children ages 8–12 with ADHD (n=107, 36 girls) and TD controls (n=95, 34 girls) completed a standard and a motivational GNG task and associations with prefrontal cortex (PFC) surface area were examined. Intrasubject variability (ISV) was lower during the motivational compared to the standard GNG among TD girls and boys, and boys with ADHD, but not among girls with ADHD. A greater reduction in ISV was associated with greater PFC surface area among children with ADHD. This novel demonstration of improvement in ISV with motivational contingencies for boys, but not girls, with ADHD and associations with PFC anatomy informs our understanding of sex differences and motivational factors contributing to ISV in children with ADHD. PMID:26141238

ADHD Perspectives: Medicalization and ADHD Connectivity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Gloria Sunnie

2012-01-01

Today's "ADHDscape" is no longer confined to images of fidgety children falling off classroom chairs. Trans-generational images flood popular culture, from "ADHD creator" with entrepreneurial style, to "ADHD troublemaker". Indeed, ADHD's enigmatic characteristics seem to apply as much to crying babies as to forgetful grannies. With the recent…

Comparison of Risperidone and Methylphenidate for Reducing ADHD Symptoms in Children and Adolescents with Moderate Mental Retardation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Filho, Alceu Gomes Correia; Bodanese, Rafael; Silva, Tatiana Laufer; Alvares, Julia Paglioza; Aman, Michael; Rohde, Luis Augusto

2005-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the short-term efficacy and tolerability of risperidone and methylphenidate for reducing symptoms related to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents with moderate mental retardation. Method: In a 4-week, single-blind, parallel-group trial, 45 subjects with moderate mental retardation and…

School-based administration of ADHD drugs decline, along with diversion, theft, and misuse.

PubMed

Dupont, Robert L; Bucher, Richard H; Wilford, Bonnie B; Coleman, John J

2007-12-01

Since 2000 researchers have reported a decline in the administration of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medications given by school nurses, although no decline has been noted in the incidence of ADHD in school-age populations. Government data for the same period show reduced levels of methylphenidate abuse as measured by its involvement in hospital emergency department (ED) admissions. Offsetting this, however, is an increase in the involvement of amphetamine-dextroamphetamine in hospital ED admissions for the same period. Because ADHD medications are often administered in the school setting, a survey of school nurses was undertaken to identify factors related to the administration as well as to the diversion, theft, and misuse of ADHD medications. Of 311 school nurses responding, 295 (95%) reported a significant or moderate decline between 2002 and 2004 in the need for school-based administration of ADHD medications. Respondents also reported reductions in diversion, theft, and misuse of ADHD drugs.

Organisation of services for managing ADHD.

PubMed

Coghill, D R

2017-10-01

There is considerable variation in practice, both between and with different countries in the management of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Whilst there is no one optimal model of service organisation there are general principles of care that can be introduced to reduce this variability. There are frequent debates and discussions about which professional group is best placed to manage ADHD at different points in the life cycle. Who delivers care is however less important than ensuring that training schemes provide adequate exposure, training and experience to both the core and non-core skills required to provide a comprehensive package of care. Most evidence-based guidelines recommend a multi-modal, multi-professional and multi-agency approach. Many also promote the use of both stepped care and shared care approaches for the management of ADHD. As most of those with ADHD continue to have ADHD-related problems into adulthood, it is important to consider how best to transition care into adulthood and think about who should deliver care to adults with ADHD. Young people with ADHD should generally be transferred to adult mental health services if they continue to have significant symptoms of ADHD or other coexisting conditions that require treatment. Unfortunately services for adults with ADHD remain relatively scarce across much of the world and some adult psychiatrists remain unsure of the diagnosis and uncertain about the appropriate use of ADHD medications in adults, but there is a strong case for increased services for adults. ADHD is on the one hand easy to treat; it is much more difficult to treat well. Although optimised care for ADHD requires routine measurement of outcomes, this often does not happen in routine clinical practice. Focusing on optimising symptoms and minimising adverse effects can significantly improve both short- and long-term outcomes.

Perception of Nonverbal Social Cues by Regular Education, ADHD, and ADHD/LD Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Cathy W.; Peterson, Andrea D.; Webster, Raymond E.; Bolen, Larry M.; Brown, Michael B.

1999-01-01

Study examined ability of attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) children with and without learning disability to perceive nonverbal social cues. ADHD/LD children demonstrated significant difficulty in comparison to their peers in effectively perceiving paralanguage cues. This group also showed significant improvement on the Postures and…

ADHD Medications

MedlinePlus

... Staying Safe Videos for Educators Search English Español ADHD Medicines KidsHealth / For Teens / ADHD Medicines What's in ... en español Medicamentos para el TDAH What Is ADHD Medicine? After someone is diagnosed with ADHD , doctors ...

Alterations in the Ventral Attention Network During the Stop-Signal Task in Children With ADHD: An Event-Related Potential Source Imaging Study.

PubMed

Janssen, Tieme W P; Heslenfeld, Dirk J; van Mourik, Rosa; Geladé, Katleen; Maras, Athanasios; Oosterlaan, Jaap

2018-05-01

Deficits in response inhibition figure prominently in models of ADHD; however, attentional deficiencies may better explain previous findings of impaired response inhibition in ADHD. We tested this hypothesis at the neurophysiological level. Dense array ERPs (event-related potentials) were obtained for 46 children with ADHD and 51 controls using the stop-signal task (SST). Early and late components were compared between groups. N2 and P3 components were localized with LAURA distributed linear inverse solution. A success-related N1 modulation was only apparent in the ADHD group. N2 and P3 amplitudes were reduced in ADHD. During the successful inhibition N2, the ADHD group showed reduced activation in right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG), supplementary motor area (SMA), and right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ), and during failed inhibition in the rIFG. During the successful inhibition P3, reduced activation was found in anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and SMA. Impairments in the ventral attention network contribute to the psychopathology of ADHD and challenge the dominant view that ADHD is underpinned by impaired inhibitory control.

ADHD and growth: anthropometric changes in medicated and non-medicated ADHD boys.

PubMed

Ptacek, Radek; Kuzelova, Hana; Paclt, Ivo; Zukov, Ilja; Fischer, Slavomil

2009-12-01

ADHD children can show changes in growth and development. Many studies describe these changes as a side effect of stimulant medication. However, changes in somatic development can also appear in non-medicated children. This suggests that the changes could be a manifestation of the disorder itself and not just a side effect of the treatment. This study compared anthropometric characteristics in medicated and non-medicated ADHD boys (n=104, age 4-16 years) with the normal non-clinical population. In contrast to most previous studies, complex anthropometrical measurements were used. The results showed significant differences between children with ADHD and those without the diagnosis, the differences found to be statistically significant (p<0.01) being signs of nutrition (percentage of fat, abdominal circumference) and growth suppression (lower body height, smaller head circumference). Differences between the medicated and non-medicated groups corresponded only to a lower value of body fat in the medicated children. These results suggest that growth changes in ADHD children may be more specific to the disorder itself than to stimulant treatment.

Comparison of QEEG Findings between Adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) without Comorbidity and ADHD Comorbid with Internet Gaming Disorder.

PubMed

Park, Jeong Ha; Hong, Ji Sun; Han, Doug Hyun; Min, Kyoung Joon; Lee, Young Sik; Kee, Baik Seok; Kim, Sun Mi

2017-03-01

Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is often comorbid with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In this study, we compared the neurobiological differences between ADHD comorbid with IGD (ADHD+IGD group) and ADHD without comorbidity (ADHD-only group) by analyzing quantitative electroencephalogram (QEEG) findings. We recruited 16 male ADHD+IGD, 15 male ADHD-only adolescent patients, and 15 male healthy controls (HC group). Participants were assessed using Young's Internet Addiction Scale and ADHD Rating Scale. Relative power and inter- and intra-hemispheric coherences of brain waves were measured using a digital electroencephalography (EEG) system. Compared to the ADHD-only group, the ADHD+IGD group showed lower relative delta power and greater relative beta power in temporal regions. The relative theta power in frontal regions were higher in ADHD-only group compared to HC group. Inter-hemispheric coherence values for the theta band between F3-F4 and C3-C4 electrodes were higher in ADHD-only group compared to HC group. Intra-hemispheric coherence values for the delta, theta, alpha, and beta bands between P4-O2 electrodes and intra-hemispheric coherence values for the theta band between Fz-Cz and T4-T6 electrodes were higher in ADHD+IGD group compared to ADHD-only group. Adolescents who show greater vulnerability to ADHD seem to continuously play Internet games to unconsciously enhance attentional ability. In turn, relative beta power in attention deficit in ADHD+IGD group may become similar to that in HC group. Repetitive activation of brain reward and working memory systems during continuous gaming may result in an increase in neuronal connectivity within the parieto-occipital and temporal regions for the ADHD+IGD group.

[Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and comorbid mental disorders : ADHD-specific self-rating scales in differential diagnostics].

PubMed

Paucke, M; Stark, T; Exner, C; Kallweit, C; Hegerl, U; Strauß, M

2018-06-18

It is still unclear how well the established attention deficit-hyperactive disorder (ADHD)-specific rating scales can differentiate between ADHD symptoms and symptoms of other mental disorders. A total of 274 patients with suspected adult ADHD were extensively examined clinically and guideline-conform in an ADHD outpatient clinic. In 190 patients the diagnosis of ADHD could be made with certainty. The patients were also subsequently assessed according to the DSM IV criteria by self-rating scales on current (ADHS-SB, ASRS, CAARS) and retrospective (WURS-K) complaints. A binary logistic regression analysis was performed in order to extract from the questionnaires, which could best distinguish the diagnosis of ADHD from other mental disorders. The results showed that two self-rating scales (WURS-K and ADHS-SB) were sufficient to correctly diagnose ADHD in 83% of the patients examined with a sensitivity of 94% and specificity of 56%. The ADHD-specific self-rating scales are additionally useful for the diagnostic differentiation between ADHD-specific and other psychiatric symptoms in the clinical practice and can improve the safety of the diagnosis.

Evaluation of sleep organization in patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and ADHD as a comorbidity of epilepsy.

PubMed

Kalil Neto, Felipe; Nunes, Magda L

2017-05-01

Epilepsy or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can influence sleep organization in different ways. The aim of this study was to evaluate sleep organization in children and adolescents with ADHD and epilepsy, and to analyze the influence of methylphenidate. This was an observational, cross-sectional study of children and adolescents with epilepsy, who were seizure free for at least three months, and were also diagnosed with ADHD. They were selected from the epilepsy and child neurology outpatient clinic of a university hospital in Brazil. After sample size calculation, patients were consecutively included into four different groups, with 21 patients each: epilepsy + ADHD using methylphenidate, epilepsy + ADHD not using methylphenidate, only ADHD, and a healthy control group. All participants were evaluated with the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC) and monitored with actigraphy for five nights/days. Actigraphic analysis showed a higher number of night awakenings in the epilepsy + ADHD groups; they were most prominent in the group without methylphenidate (p = 0.001). Parental reports demonstrated a higher risk for sleep disturbances in the epilepsy + ADHD without methylphenidate and the ADHD groups (p < 0.001). Primary ADHD as a comorbidity of epilepsy impairs sleep organization in children, and the use of short-acting methylphenidate seems to improve it. Both objective (actigraphic) and subjective (SDSC) measures showed significant sleep alterations between primary ADHD and ADHD as a comorbidity of epilepsy; this was most prominent in the group without methylphenidate. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparison of QEEG Findings between Adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) without Comorbidity and ADHD Comorbid with Internet Gaming Disorder

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is often comorbid with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In this study, we compared the neurobiological differences between ADHD comorbid with IGD (ADHD+IGD group) and ADHD without comorbidity (ADHD-only group) by analyzing quantitative electroencephalogram (QEEG) findings. We recruited 16 male ADHD+IGD, 15 male ADHD-only adolescent patients, and 15 male healthy controls (HC group). Participants were assessed using Young's Internet Addiction Scale and ADHD Rating Scale. Relative power and inter- and intra-hemispheric coherences of brain waves were measured using a digital electroencephalography (EEG) system. Compared to the ADHD-only group, the ADHD+IGD group showed lower relative delta power and greater relative beta power in temporal regions. The relative theta power in frontal regions were higher in ADHD-only group compared to HC group. Inter-hemispheric coherence values for the theta band between F3–F4 and C3–C4 electrodes were higher in ADHD-only group compared to HC group. Intra-hemispheric coherence values for the delta, theta, alpha, and beta bands between P4–O2 electrodes and intra-hemispheric coherence values for the theta band between Fz–Cz and T4–T6 electrodes were higher in ADHD+IGD group compared to ADHD-only group. Adolescents who show greater vulnerability to ADHD seem to continuously play Internet games to unconsciously enhance attentional ability. In turn, relative beta power in attention deficit in ADHD+IGD group may become similar to that in HC group. Repetitive activation of brain reward and working memory systems during continuous gaming may result in an increase in neuronal connectivity within the parieto-occipital and temporal regions for the ADHD+IGD group. PMID:28145657

Auditory and Visual Attention Performance in Children With ADHD: The Attentional Deficiency of ADHD Is Modality Specific.

PubMed

Lin, Hung-Yu; Hsieh, Hsieh-Chun; Lee, Posen; Hong, Fu-Yuan; Chang, Wen-Dien; Liu, Kuo-Cheng

2017-08-01

This study explored auditory and visual attention in children with ADHD. In a randomized, two-period crossover design, 50 children with ADHD and 50 age- and sex-matched typically developing peers were measured with the Test of Various Attention (TOVA). The deficiency of visual attention is more serious than that of auditory attention in children with ADHD. On the auditory modality, only the deficit of attentional inconsistency is sufficient to explain most cases of ADHD; however, most of the children with ADHD suffered from deficits of sustained attention, response inhibition, and attentional inconsistency on the visual modality. Our results also showed that the deficit of attentional inconsistency is the most important indicator in diagnosing and intervening in ADHD when both auditory and visual modalities are considered. The findings provide strong evidence that the deficits of auditory attention are different from those of visual attention in children with ADHD.

Treatment of adult ADHD: a clinical perspective

PubMed Central

Geffen, Josh; Forster, Kieran

2017-01-01

Adult attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has moved from the blurred edge of clinical focus to clear recognition as a prevalent and significant disorder in its own right. It is a relatively common comorbidity which if identified and treated may open the door to better outcomes for hard-to-treat patients. Conversely, failure to identify and treat adult ADHD is linked to negative outcomes. The recognition of the importance of adult ADHD in a subset of our patients challenges us to overcome our anxiety about this diagnosis and prevent the societal marginalization of vulnerable patients. Adult ADHD responds well to integrated pharmacological and psychotherapeutic intervention. Its treatment responsiveness reduces disability and allows the comorbidity which is typically present to be addressed. Mastering this challenge can make the diagnosis and treatment of adult ADHD a rewarding experience. PMID:29344341

Children With ADHD Show Impairments in Multiple Stages of Information Processing in a Stroop Task: An ERP Study.

PubMed

Kóbor, Andrea; Takács, Ádám; Bryce, Donna; Szűcs, Dénes; Honbolygó, Ferenc; Nagy, Péter; Csépe, Valéria

2015-01-01

This study investigated the role of impaired inhibitory control as a factor underlying attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Children with ADHD and typically developing children completed an animal Stroop task while electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded. The lateralized readiness potential and event-related brain potentials associated with perceptual and conflict processing were analyzed. Children with ADHD were slower to give correct responses irrespective of congruency, and slower to prepare correct responses in the incongruent condition. This delay could result from enhanced effort allocation at earlier processing stages, indicated by differences in P1, N1, and conflict sustained potential. Results suggest multiple deficits in information processing rather than a specific response inhibition impairment.

Do Stimulants Reduce the Risk for Alcohol and Substance Use in Youth With ADHD? A Secondary Analysis of a Prospective, 24-Month Open-Label Study of Osmotic-Release Methylphenidate.

PubMed

Hammerness, Paul; Petty, Carter; Faraone, Stephen V; Biederman, Joseph

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of stimulant treatment on risk for alcohol and illicit drug use in adolescents with ADHD. Analysis of data derived from a prospective open-label treatment study of adolescent ADHD ( n = 115, 76% male), and a historical, naturalistic sample of ADHD ( n = 44, 68% male) and non-ADHD youth ( n = 52, 73% male) of similar age and sex. Treatment consisted of extended-release methylphenidate in the clinical trial or naturalistic stimulant treatment. Self-report of alcohol and drug use was derived from a modified version of the Drug Use Screening Inventory. Rates of alcohol and drug use in the past year were significantly lower in the clinical trial compared with untreated and treated naturalistic ADHD comparators, and similar to rates in non-ADHD comparators. Well-monitored stimulant treatment may reduce the risk for alcohol and substance use in adolescent ADHD.

[Substance use disorders and ADHD: an overview of recent Dutch research].

PubMed

van Emmerik-van Oortmerssen, K; Crunelle, C L; Carpentier, P J

2013-01-01

ADHD is an important risk factor for the development of substance use disorders (SUD). To provide an overview of recent Dutch research into the prevalence of ADHD in SUD populations and the neurobiological substrate of the reduced effect of pharmacological treatment of this patient group. We describe three studies: a meta-analysis and meta-regression analysis of the prevalence of ADHD in 6689 SUD patients; a cross-sectional study of the prevalence of ADHD and several other psychiatric disorders in 193 methadon maintenance patients, and finally a study in which the availability and occupation of dopamine transporters before and after methylphenidate treatment were measured using SPECT scans in 24 ADHD patients with and without cocaine addiction. The prevalence of ADHD in SUD patients is estimated to be 23.1% (95% confidence interval 19.4-27.2). This prevalence is influenced by the diagnostic instrument for ADHD and by the substance of abuse: cocaine is associated with a lower ADHD prevalence than other substances. The prevalence found among methadone maintenance patients was similar, namely 24.9%; additional comorbid psychiatric disorders were also frequently present. In the imaging study, lower availability of dopamine transporters and lower occupation by methylphenidate were found in cocaine-dependent ADHD patients than in ADHD patients without SUD. These studies confirm the high prevalence of ADHD in SUD patients, and provide a possible explanation for the reduced efficacy of methylphenidate in this patient population.

Investigating late-onset ADHD: a population cohort investigation.

PubMed

Cooper, Miriam; Hammerton, Gemma; Collishaw, Stephan; Langley, Kate; Thapar, Ajay; Dalsgaard, Søren; Stergiakouli, Evie; Tilling, Kate; Davey Smith, George; Maughan, Barbara; O'Donovan, Michael; Thapar, Anita; Riglin, Lucy

2018-04-23

Adult ADHD has been assumed to be a continuation of childhood-onset ADHD. However, recent studies have identified individuals with ADHD in adulthood who have not had ADHD in childhood. Whether or not these individuals have a 'typical' neurodevelopmental profile is not clear. We tested two explanations for the emergence of apparent late-onset ADHD symptomatology using the ALSPAC epidemiological cohort, by grouping individuals according to their scores on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) hyperactivity subscale at ages 12 and 17 years. First, we tested whether some of those with apparent late-onset ADHD symptoms had been potentially misclassified on the basis of earlier SDQ hyperactivity scores (ages 7, 8 and 9 years) or of subthreshold symptoms at age 12 years. Second, we investigated the possibility that those with 'genuine' late-onset ADHD symptoms had a delayed manifestation of the same liability that underlies childhood-onset symptoms, by investigating whether they had a similar profile of neurodevelopmental impairments (in the domains of autistic symptomatology, language, reading, spelling, executive functioning and IQ) as those with typical childhood-onset ADHD. N = 56/75 (75%) of those with apparent late-onset ADHD had had high ADHD scores at least one point in childhood, suggesting that they may have been misclassified on the basis of their score at age 12 years. The remaining 19 individuals (25%) with genuine late-onset ADHD symptoms did not show a profile of neurodevelopmental impairment typically seen in ADHD, instead showing similar levels of autistic symptoms, language skills, executive functioning ability and IQ to those without ADHD symptoms. The only exceptions were that this group showed reading and spelling problems at age 9 years. Our work suggests that this small number of individuals with genuine late-onset symptoms may not be most appropriately considered as having a typical neurodevelopmental disorder. © 2018 The

Knowledge of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Attitudes toward Teaching Children with ADHD: The Role of Teaching Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Donnah L.; Watt, Susan E.; Noble, William; Shanley, Dianne C.

2012-01-01

Knowledge of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and attitudes toward teaching children with ADHD are compared across stages of Australian teachers' careers. Relative to pre-service teachers with (n = 218) and without (n = 109) teaching experience, in-service teachers (n = 127) show more overall knowledge of ADHD, more knowledge of…

Theory of Mind and Empathy in Children With ADHD.

PubMed

Maoz, Hagai; Gvirts, Hila Z; Sheffer, Maya; Bloch, Yuval

2017-05-01

The current study compared empathy and theory of mind (ToM) between children with ADHD and healthy controls, and assessed changes in ToM among children with ADHD following administration of methylphenidate (MPH). Twenty-four children with ADHD (mean age = 10.3 years) were compared with 36 healthy controls. All children completed the interpersonal reactivity index (IRI), a self-reported empathy questionnaire, and performed the "faux-pas" recognition task (FPR). Children with ADHD performed the task with and without MPH. Children with ADHD showed significantly lower levels of self-reported empathy on most IRI subscales. FPR scores were significantly lower in children with ADHD and were improved, following the administration of MPH, to a level equal to that found in healthy controls. Children with ADHD show impaired self-reported empathy and FPR when compared with healthy controls. Stimulants improve FPR in children with ADHD to a level equal to that in healthy controls.

Coaching for ADHD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Kevin; Ratey, Nancy; Maynard, Sandy; Sussman, Susan; Wright, Sarah D.

2010-01-01

Despite limited scientific study on ADHD coaching as an intervention for adults with ADHD, the field of ADHD coaching has grown significantly and gained popularity in recent years. ADHD coaching is becoming a bona fide profession where one must advance through a rigorous training process, in order to be certified as a professional ADHD coach.…

EEG correlates of visual short-term memory as neuro-cognitive endophenotypes of ADHD.

PubMed

Wiegand, Iris; Hennig-Fast, Kristina; Kilian, Beate; Müller, Hermann J; Töllner, Thomas; Möller, Hans-Jürgen; Engel, Rolf R; Finke, Kathrin

2016-05-01

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) frequently persists into adulthood. A reduction in visual short-term memory (vSTM) storage capacity was recently suggested as a potential neuro-cognitive endophenotype, i.e., a testable marker of an individual's liability for developing ADHD. This study aimed at identifying markers of the brain abnormalities underlying vSTM reductions in adult ADHD. We combined behavioral parameter-based assessment with electrophysiology in groups of adult ADHD patients and healthy age-matched controls. Amplitudes of ERP markers of vSTM storage capacity, the contralateral delay activity (CDA) and the P3b, were analyzed according to (i) differences between individuals with higher vs. lower storage capacity K and (ii) differences between ADHD patients and control participants. We replicated the finding of reduced storage capacity in adult ADHD. Across groups, individuals with higher relative to lower storage capacity showed a larger CDA and P3b. We further found differences between the patient and control groups in the ERPs: The CDA amplitude was attenuated in an early time window for ADHD patients compared to control participants, and was negatively correlated with ADHD patients' symptom severity ratings. Furthermore, the P3b was larger in ADHD patients relative to control participants. These electrophysiological findings indicate altered brain mechanisms underlying visual storage capacity in ADHD, which are characterized by deficient encoding and maintenance, and increased recruitment of control processes. Accordingly, (quantifiable) ERP markers of vSTM in adult ADHD bear candidacy as neuro-cognitive endophenotypes of the disease. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Motives underlying smoking in college students with ADHD.

PubMed

Murphy, Kerrie Glass; Flory, Kate

2017-05-01

The positive association between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and smoking in youth has been well documented. Less research has examined why individuals with ADHD, particularly college students, are at increased risk for smoking. This longitudinal study examined whether smoking motives [cognitive enhancement, tolerance, negative reinforcement (smoking to reduce negative affect or stress), craving, social influences, and weight control] helped to explain the relation between ADHD symptoms (inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity) and cigarette smoking among college students. Participants were 889 undergraduates (21% men) and their parents who completed online surveys at the beginning and end of the Fall semester regarding their smoking behaviors, ADHD symptoms, and smoking motives. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze data and answer research questions. Nineteen percent of students reported smoking, while 20% reported one or more inattentive symptoms, 35% reported one or more hyperactive/impulsive symptoms, and 3.3% met criteria for ADHD. All smoking motives significantly moderated the relation between inattentive symptoms and smoking, while most smoking motives (negative reinforcement, tolerance, craving, cognitive enhancement, and weight control) moderated the link between hyperactive/impulsive symptoms and smoking. Results remained significant after controlling for stimulant medication use and conduct disorder symptoms. Conclusions/Importance. Addressing negative reinforcement, craving, social influences, and tolerance in prevention and intervention efforts on college campuses may reduce smoking. Results also highlight the importance of assessing a range of ADHD symptoms in college students as ADHD symptoms, even at subthreshold levels, were associated with increased smoking rates among college students.

Do Working Memory Deficits Underlie Reading Problems in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)?

PubMed

Kofler, Michael J; Spiegel, Jamie A; Soto, Elia F; Irwin, Lauren N; Wells, Erica L; Austin, Kristin E

2018-06-19

Reading problems are common in children with ADHD and show strong covariation with these children's underdeveloped working memory abilities. In contrast, working memory training does not appear to improve reading performance for children with ADHD or neurotypical children. The current study bridges the gap between these conflicting findings, and combines dual-task methodology with Bayesian modeling to examine the role of working memory for explaining ADHD-related reading problems. Children ages 8-13 (M = 10.50, SD = 1.59) with and without ADHD (N = 78; 29 girls; 63% Caucasian/Non-Hispanic) completed a counterbalanced series of reading tasks that systematically manipulated concurrent working memory demands. Adding working memory demands produced disproportionate decrements in reading comprehension for children with ADHD (d = -0.67) relative to Non-ADHD children (d = -0.18); comprehension was significantly reduced in both groups when working memory demands were increased. These effects were robust to controls for foundational reading skills (decoding, sight word vocabulary) and comorbid reading disability. Concurrent working memory demands did not slow reading speed for either group. The ADHD group showed lower comprehension (d = 1.02) and speed (d = 0.69) even before adding working memory demands beyond those inherently required for reading. Exploratory conditional effects analyses indicated that underdeveloped working memory overlapped with 41% (comprehension) and 85% (speed) of these between-group differences. Reading problems in ADHD appear attributable, at least in part, to their underdeveloped working memory abilities. Combined with prior cross-sectional and longitudinal findings, the current experimental evidence positions working memory as a potential causal mechanism that is necessary but not sufficient for effectively understanding written language.

ADHD Coaching with College Students: Exploring the Processes Involved in Motivation and Goal Completion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prevatt, Frances; Smith, Shannon M.; Diers, Sarah; Marshall, Diana; Coleman, Jennifer; Valler, Emilee; Miller, Nathan

2017-01-01

College students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often experience increased academic difficulties, which can negatively impact graduation rates, employment, self-esteem, and mental health. ADHD coaching assists students with ADHD to reduce such difficulties. The present study evaluated the processes involved in ADHD coaching…

The Energetic Brain: Understanding and Managing ADHD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reynolds, Cecil R.; Vannest, Kimberly J.; Harrison, Judith R.

2012-01-01

ADHD affects millions of people-some 3 to 5% of the general population. Written by a neuroscientist who has studied ADHD, a clinician who has diagnosed and treated it for 30 years, and a special educator who sees it daily, "The Energetic Brain" provides the latest information from neuroscience on how the ADHD brain works and shows how to harness…

Testing for Neuropsychological Endophenotypes in Siblings Discordant for ADHD

PubMed Central

Bidwell, L. Cinnamon; Willcutt, Erik G.; DeFries, John C.; Pennington, Bruce F.

2007-01-01

Objective Neurocognitive deficits associated with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be useful intermediate endophenotypes for determining specific genetic pathways that contribute to ADHD. Methods This study administered 17 measures from prominent neuropsychological theories of ADHD (executive function, processing speed, arousal regulation and motivation/delay aversion) in dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs discordant for ADHD and control twin pairs (ages 8–18) in order to compare performance between twins affected with ADHD (n = 266), their unaffected co-twins (n = 228), and control children from twin pairs without ADHD or learning difficulties (n = 332). Results ADHD subjects show significant impairment on executive function, processing speed, and response variability measures compared to control subjects. Unaffected cotwins of ADHD subjects are significantly impaired on nearly all the same measures as their ADHD siblings, even when subclinical symptoms of ADHD are controlled. Conclusion Executive function, processing speed, and response variability deficits may be useful endophenotypes for genetic studies of ADHD. PMID:17585884

The neuronal mechanisms underlying improvement of impulsivity in ADHD by theta/beta neurofeedback.

PubMed

Bluschke, Annet; Broschwitz, Felicia; Kohl, Simon; Roessner, Veit; Beste, Christian

2016-08-12

Neurofeedback is increasingly recognized as an intervention to treat core symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Despite the large number of studies having been carried out to evaluate its effectiveness, it is widely elusive what neuronal mechanisms related to the core symptoms of ADHD are modulated by neurofeedback. 19 children with ADHD undergoing 8 weeks of theta/beta neurofeedback and 17 waiting list controls performed a Go/Nogo task in a pre-post design. We used neurophysiological measures combining high-density EEG recording with source localization analyses using sLORETA. Compared to the waiting list ADHD control group, impulsive behaviour measured was reduced after neurofeedback treatment. The effects of neurofeedback were very specific for situations requiring inhibitory control over responses. The neurophysiological data shows that processes of perceptual gating, attentional selection and resource allocation processes were not affected by neurofeedback. Rather, neurofeedback effects seem to be based on the modulation of response inhibition processes in medial frontal cortices. The study shows that specific neuronal mechanisms underlying impulsivity are modulated by theta/beta neurofeedback in ADHD. The applied neurofeedback protocol could be particularly suitable to address inhibitory control. The study validates assumed functional neuroanatomical target regions of an established neurofeedback protocol on a neurophysiological level.

The neuronal mechanisms underlying improvement of impulsivity in ADHD by theta/beta neurofeedback

PubMed Central

Bluschke, Annet; Broschwitz, Felicia; Kohl, Simon; Roessner, Veit; Beste, Christian

2016-01-01

Neurofeedback is increasingly recognized as an intervention to treat core symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Despite the large number of studies having been carried out to evaluate its effectiveness, it is widely elusive what neuronal mechanisms related to the core symptoms of ADHD are modulated by neurofeedback. 19 children with ADHD undergoing 8 weeks of theta/beta neurofeedback and 17 waiting list controls performed a Go/Nogo task in a pre-post design. We used neurophysiological measures combining high-density EEG recording with source localization analyses using sLORETA. Compared to the waiting list ADHD control group, impulsive behaviour measured was reduced after neurofeedback treatment. The effects of neurofeedback were very specific for situations requiring inhibitory control over responses. The neurophysiological data shows that processes of perceptual gating, attentional selection and resource allocation processes were not affected by neurofeedback. Rather, neurofeedback effects seem to be based on the modulation of response inhibition processes in medial frontal cortices. The study shows that specific neuronal mechanisms underlying impulsivity are modulated by theta/beta neurofeedback in ADHD. The applied neurofeedback protocol could be particularly suitable to address inhibitory control. The study validates assumed functional neuroanatomical target regions of an established neurofeedback protocol on a neurophysiological level. PMID:27514985

Gray Matter Increase in Motor Cortex in Pediatric ADHD: A Voxel-Based Morphometry Study.

PubMed

Sutcubasi Kaya, Bernis; Metin, Baris; Tas, Zeynep Cubukcuoglu; Buyukaslan, Ayse; Soysal, Aysegul; Hatiloglu, Deniz; Tarhan, Nevzat

2018-05-01

Several studies report that ADHD is associated with reduced gray matter (GM), whereas others report no differences in GM volume between ADHD patients and controls, and some even report more GM volume in individuals with ADHD. These conflicting findings suggest that reduced GM is not a universal finding in ADHD, and that more research is needed to delineate with greater accuracy the range of GM alterations. The present study aimed to identify GM alterations in ADHD using pediatric templates. 19 drug-naïve ADHD patients and 18 controls, all aged 7 to 14 years, were scanned using magnetic resonance imaging. Relative to the controls, the ADHD patients had more GM, predominantly in the precentral and supplementary motor areas. Moreover, there were positive correlations between GM volume in these areas and ADHD scale scores. The clinical and pathophysiological significance of increased GM in the motor areas remains to be elucidated by additional research.

Atomoxetine for the Treatment of ADHD in Incarcerated Adolescents.

PubMed

Jillani, Sarah; Patel, Prina; Trestman, Robert; Kamath, Jayesh

2016-06-01

Effective interventions for adolescents with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the correctional setting may improve care during incarceration, decrease risk of substance relapse, and reduce recidivism after release from the correctional setting of these individuals. The present report delineates the epidemiology of adolescent ADHD in the correctional setting and its association with substance use disorders and comorbid psychiatric illnesses. Evidence suggests that adolescents with ADHD have a higher risk of arrest and incarceration during adulthood. The present report examines evidence related to efficacy of atomoxetine, a nonstimulant medication for the treatment of adolescent ADHD, and presents data from a case series evaluating the effectiveness of atomoxetine for the treatment of adolescent ADHD in the Connecticut correctional setting. The results from the case series suggest that atomoxetine is effective for the treatment of adolescent ADHD in the context of significant past substance use. In summary, adolescents with ADHD have an elevated risk of incarceration and developing substance use disorders. The present review and pilot case series suggest that atomoxetine is an effective treatment for adolescents with ADHD in the correctional setting. © 2016 American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law.

[Cognitive Profiles of Preschool Children with Developmental Coordination Disorders and ADHD].

PubMed

Jascenoka, Julia; Korsch, Franziska; Petermann, Franz; Petermann, Ulrike

2015-01-01

Cognitive Profiles of Preschool Children with Developmental Coordination Disorders and ADHD Studies confirm that developmental coordination disorders (DCD) are often accompanied by ADHD. It is important to know why children with combined disorders show a special profile in a common intelligence test (WPPSI-III). For this purpose, the WPPSI-III results of a total of 125 children aged five to six years with diagnosed isolated DCD, isolated ADHD, combined disorders and a normative sample were compared. Children with isolated ADHD showed the best cognitive profile. Children of all three diagnosis subgroups presented significantly poorer abilities in all WPPSI-III scales than the normative sample. In comparison with preschoolers showing isolated ADHD, children with DCD and ADHD have a significant lower Processing Speed Quotient.

Response time variability under slow and fast-incentive conditions in children with ASD, ADHD and ASD+ADHD.

PubMed

Tye, Charlotte; Johnson, Katherine A; Kelly, Simon P; Asherson, Philip; Kuntsi, Jonna; Ashwood, Karen L; Azadi, Bahare; Bolton, Patrick; McLoughlin, Gráinne

2016-12-01

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show significant behavioural and genetic overlap. Both ADHD and ASD are characterised by poor performance on a range of cognitive tasks. In particular, increased response time variability (RTV) is a promising indicator of risk for both ADHD and ASD. However, it is not clear whether different indices of RTV and changes to RTV according to task conditions are able to discriminate between the two disorders. Children with ASD (n = 19), ADHD (n = 18), ASD + ADHD (n = 29) and typically developing controls (TDC; n = 26) performed a four-choice RT task with slow-baseline and fast-incentive conditions. Performance was characterised by mean RT (MRT), standard deviation of RT (SD-RT), coefficient of variation (CV) and ex-Gaussian distribution measures of Mu, Sigma and Tau. In the slow-baseline condition, categorical diagnoses and trait measures converged to indicate that children with ADHD-only and ASD + ADHD demonstrated increased MRT, SD-RT, CV and Tau compared to TDC and ASD-only. Importantly, greater improvement in MRT, SD-RT and Tau was demonstrated in ADHD and ASD + ADHD from slow-baseline to fast-incentive conditions compared to TDC and ASD-only. Slower and more variable RTs are markers of ADHD compared to ASD and typically developing controls during slow and less rewarding conditions. Energetic factors and rewards improve task performance to a greater extent in children with ADHD compared to children with ASD. These findings suggest that RTV can be distinguished in ASD, ADHD and ASD + ADHD based on the indices of variability used and the conditions in which they are elicited. Further work identifying neural processes underlying increased RTV is warranted, in order to elucidate disorder-specific and disorder-convergent aetiological pathways. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Association for

The relationships among ADHD, self-esteem, and test anxiety in young adults.

PubMed

Dan, Orrie; Raz, Sivan

2015-03-01

The comorbidity of adult ADHD with test anxiety (TA) has not been previously reported. This comorbidity can potentially affect clinical and academic interventions among individuals with ADHD. The present study investigated the relationships among ADHD, self-esteem, and three subscales of TA among young adults: Cognitive Obstruction, Social Derogation, and Tenseness. A total of 25 female participants diagnosed with ADHD and 30 female controls without ADHD of comparable age and education completed an Online Continuous Performance Test, an ADHD questionnaire, a self-esteem inventory, and a TA questionnaire. Participants with ADHD exhibited significantly higher levels of TA on all three subscales and lower levels of self-esteem compared with controls. Self-esteem served as a partial mediator between ADHD and cognitive obstruction TA and as a full mediator between ADHD and social derogation TA, but had no mediation effect in the relationships between ADHD and tenseness TA. The findings of this study suggest that TA, well known to affect success on tests, is correlated with ADHD. Therefore, interventions for ADHD should include components aimed at reducing TA. © 2012 SAGE Publications.

Risky decision-making in children with and without ADHD: A prospective study.

PubMed

Humphreys, Kathryn L; Tottenham, Nim; Lee, Steve S

2018-02-01

Learning from past decisions can enhance successful decision-making. It is unclear whether difficulties in learning from experience may contribute to risky decision-making, which may be altered among individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study follows 192 children with and without ADHD aged 5 to 10 years for approximately 2.5 years and examines their risky decision-making using the Balloon Emotional Learning Task (BELT), a computerized assessment of sequential risky decision-making in which participants pump up a series of virtual balloons for points. The BELT contains three task conditions: one with a variable explosion point, one with a stable and early explosion point, and one with a stable and late explosion point. These conditions may be learned via experience on the task. Contrary to expectations, ADHD status was not found to be related to greater risk-taking on the BELT, and among younger children ADHD status is in fact associated with reduced risk-taking. In addition, the typically-developing children without ADHD showed significant learning-related gains on both stable task conditions. However, the children with ADHD demonstrated learning on the condition with a stable and early explosion point, but not on the condition with the stable and late explosion point, in which more pumps are required before learning when the balloon will explode. Learning during decision-making may be more difficult for children with ADHD. Because adapting to changing environmental demands requires the use of feedback to guide future behavior, negative outcomes associated with childhood ADHD may partially reflect difficulties in learning from experience.

The joint effect of bilingualism and ADHD on executive functions.

PubMed

Mor, Billy; Yitzhaki-Amsalem, Sarin; Prior, Anat

2015-06-01

The current study investigated the combined effect of ADHD, previously associated with executive function (EF) deficits, and of bilingualism, previously associated with EF enhancement, on EF. Eighty University students, Hebrew monolinguals and Russian Hebrew bilinguals, with and without ADHD participated. Inhibition tasks were a Numeric Stroop task and a Simon arrows task. Shifting tasks were the Trail Making Test (TMT) and a task-switching paradigm. Participants with ADHD performed worse than controls, but we did not find a bilingual advantage in EF. The negative impact of ADHD was more pronounced for bilinguals than for monolinguals, but only in interference suppression tasks. Bilingual participants with ADHD had the lowest performance. Bilingualism might prove to be an added burden for adults with ADHD, leading to reduced EF abilities. Alternatively, the current findings might be ascribed to over- or under-diagnosis of ADHD due to cultural differences between groups. These issues should be pursued in future research. © 2014 SAGE Publications.

The importance of children's ADHD for parents' relationship stability and labor supply.

PubMed

Kvist, Anette Primdal; Nielsen, Helena Skyt; Simonsen, Marianne

2013-07-01

Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have much worse long-term outcomes than other children. This paper uses Danish register-based data on children born from 1990 to 1997 to investigate the significance of children's ADHD for parents' outcomes. We observe 172,299 pairs of parents from 1990 to 2007 of which 2457 have a firstborn child diagnosed with ADHD and 169,842 have a firstborn child without ADHD. Ten years after the birth of the child, parents of children diagnosed with ADHD have a 75% higher probability of having dissolved their relationship and a 7-13% lower labor supply. Parents of children with ADHD are, however, particularly disadvantaged in terms of socioeconomic background and mental health. We explain about half of the gaps in partnership stability and labor supply when these factors are taken into consideration, but a statistically and economically significant gap remains to be explained. Additionally, we find that the receipt of a diagnosis to some extent moderates the influence of underlying ADHD on partnership stability. Still, our study concludes that poor child health in terms of ADHD reduces parental socioeconomic status (SES) by lowering their labor supply (and earnings) and reducing relationship stability. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Effects of Methylphenidate on Discounting of Delayed Rewards in ADHD

PubMed Central

Shiels, Keri; Hawk, Larry W.; Reynolds, Brady; Mazzullo, Rebecca; Rhodes, Jessica; Pelham, William E.; Waxmonsky, James G.; Gangloff, Brian P.

2010-01-01

Impulsivity is a central component of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Delay discounting, or a preference for smaller, immediate rewards over larger, delayed rewards is considered an important aspect of impulsivity, and delay-related impulsivity has been emphasized in etiological models of ADHD. The current study examined whether stimulant medication, an effective treatment for ADHD, reduces discounting of delayed experiential and hypothetical rewards among 49 children (age 9–12 years) with ADHD. Following a practice day, participants completed a 3-day double-blind placebo-controlled acute medication assessment. Active doses were long-acting methylphenidate (Concerta), with the nearest equivalents of 0.3 and 0.6 mg/kg TID immediate-release methylphenidate. On each testing day, participants completed experiential (real-world money in real time) and hypothetical discounting tasks. Relative to placebo, methylphenidate reduced discounting of delayed experiential rewards, but not hypothetical rewards. Broadly consistent with etiological models that emphasize delay-related impulsivity among children with ADHD, these findings provide initial evidence that stimulant medication reduces delay discounting among those with the disorder. The present results also draw attention to task parameters that may influence the sensitivity of various delay discounting measures to medication effects. PMID:19803628

[Mindfulness-based intervention in attention-deficit-/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)].

PubMed

Schmiedeler, Sandra

2015-03-01

This paper reviews the current literature on mindfulness-based interventions in the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Mindfulness means paying attention and being aware of the experiences occurring in the present moment, and it is usually developed by the practice of meditation. Research shows that mindfulness training is associated with improved attention systems and self-regulation, and that it therefore fosters those skills that are underdeveloped in individuals with ADHD. Although only few studies have investigated the effectiveness of mindfulness training in ADHD (many of which showing methodological limitations), the findings do suggest that mindfulness may be useful in ADHD interventions.

The role of ADHD associated genes in neurodevelopment.

PubMed

Dark, Callum; Homman-Ludiye, Jihane; Bryson-Richardson, Robert J

2018-06-15

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a highly heritable neurodevelopmental disorder of childhood. It is primarily characterised by high levels of activity, inattention, and impulsivity, and has strong negative impacts on academic functioning. Children with ADHD show a reduction in volume, and hypoactivity, in a range of brain regions. The underlying mechanisms behind these phenotypes are unknown, however, variants in several genes with known roles in neurodevelopment are associated with ADHD. In this review we discuss how these ADHD associated genes contribute to neurodevelopment, and how variants in these genes could give rise to the neurological phenotypes seen in ADHD. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Genetic Insights Into ADHD Biology.

PubMed

Hayman, Victoria; Fernandez, Thomas V

2018-01-01

ADHD is a neurobiological disorder with a large worldwide prevalence causing significant impairment in children, adolescents, and adults. While there is general agreement about genetic contributions toward the disorder, progress in leveraging genetics to learn more about the biology and risk factors for ADHD has been limited. In this perspective, we identified 105 genes from the literature showing at least nominal statistical significance in association with ADHD. We analyzed these genes for enrichment in biological pathways and in known interacting biological networks. We also analyzed the expression patterns of candidate genes across brain regions and across periods of human development. From our analysis, we identify 14 genes that cluster within an interactive gene network, with enrichment in nitric oxide synthase and alpha-1 adrenergic pathways. Furthermore, these genes show enrichment for expression in the cerebellum during childhood through young adulthood, and in the cortex in adolescence and young adulthood. Gene discovery holds great potential for elucidating the unknown biological underpinnings of ADHD. Genome-wide sequencing efforts are underway and are likely to provide important insights that can be leveraged for new treatments and interventions.

Construct validity of ADHD/ODD rating scales: recommendations for the evaluation of forthcoming DSM-V ADHD/ODD scales.

PubMed

Burns, G Leonard; Walsh, James A; Servera, Mateu; Lorenzo-Seva, Urbano; Cardo, Esther; Rodríguez-Fornells, Antoni

2013-01-01

Exploratory structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied to a multiple indicator (26 individual symptom ratings) by multitrait (ADHD-IN, ADHD-HI and ODD factors) by multiple source (mothers, fathers and teachers) model to test the invariance, convergent and discriminant validity of the Child and Adolescent Disruptive Behavior Inventory with 872 Thai adolescents and the ADHD Rating Scale-IV and ODD scale of the Disruptive Behavior Inventory with 1,749 Spanish children. Most of the individual ADHD/ODD symptoms showed convergent and discriminant validity with the loadings and thresholds being invariant over mothers, fathers and teachers in both samples (the three latent factor means were higher for parents than teachers). The ADHD-IN, ADHD-HI and ODD latent factors demonstrated convergent and discriminant validity between mothers and fathers within the two samples. Convergent and discriminant validity between parents and teachers for the three factors was either absent (Thai sample) or only partial (Spanish sample). The application of exploratory SEM to a multiple indicator by multitrait by multisource model should prove useful for the evaluation of the construct validity of the forthcoming DSM-V ADHD/ODD rating scales.

Low dopamine transporter occupancy by methylphenidate as a possible reason for reduced treatment effectiveness in ADHD patients with cocaine dependence.

PubMed

Crunelle, Cleo L; van den Brink, Wim; Veltman, Dick J; van Emmerik-van Oortmerssen, Katelijne; Dom, Geert; Schoevers, Robert A; Booij, Jan

2013-12-01

Methylphenidate (MPH) occupies brain striatal dopamine transporters (DATs) and is an effective treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, patients with ADHD and comorbid cocaine dependence do not benefit significantly from treatment with MPH. To better understand the neurobiology of this phenomenon, we examined DAT availability and the effects of MPH treatment on DAT occupancy in ADHD patients with and without cocaine dependence. ADHD patients without a comorbid substance use disorder (N=16) and ADHD patients with comorbid cocaine dependence (N=8) were imaged at baseline and after two weeks MPH treatment using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with the DAT tracer [(123)I]FP-CIT. Changes in ADHD symptoms were measured with the ADHD symptom rating scale (ASRS). At baseline, we observed lower striatal DAT availability in ADHD patients with cocaine dependence. Following fixed MPH treatment, MPH occupied significantly less striatal DATs in cocaine-dependent than in non-cocaine dependent ADHD patients. There were no significant correlations between baseline DAT availability or DAT occupancy by MPH and ADHD symptom improvement. However, we did find significant correlations between DAT occupancy by MPH and decreases in impulsivity scores and years of cocaine use. These preliminary findings suggest that low DAT occupancy is not the reason why ADHD patients with cocaine dependence do not benefit from MPH treatment. It also suggests that higher dosages of MPH in these patients are probably not the solution and that medications directed at other pharmacological targets should be considered in these comorbid ADHD patients. This trial is registered at the Dutch Trial Register, www.trialregister.nl, under Trial ID number NTR3127. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.

Lifespan persistence of ADHD: the life transition model and its application.

PubMed

Turgay, Atilla; Goodman, David W; Asherson, Philip; Lasser, Robert A; Babcock, Thomas F; Pucci, Michael L; Barkley, Russell

2012-02-01

The understanding that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often persists throughout life has heightened interest of patients, families, advocates, and professionals in a longitudinal approach to management. Such an approach must recognize and address known patient- and systems-based challenges of long-term mental health treatment, shifting of clinical presentations of ADHD, and commonality of psychiatric comorbidity with ADHD. The ADHD Life Transition Model is a step toward developing criteria to optimize recognition and clinical management of ADHD (eg, response, remission) across an individual's lifespan and across diverse medical subspecialties. To support therapeutic efficiency and adaptability, our proposed model highlights periods when external resources for managing ADHD are reduced, cognitive and behavioral stressors are increased, and individuals may be reevaluating how they perceive, accept, and adhere to ADHD treatment. Such a model aims to support the clinical community by placing in context new findings, which suggest that the prevention of adult psychopathology in individuals with pediatric ADHD may be possible. The ADHD Life Transition Model seeks to improve care for individuals with ADHD by (1) underscoring that ADHD persists beyond childhood in at least two-thirds of patients, (2) raising awareness of the need to approach ADHD from a chronic illness standpoint, and (3) increasing mental health professionals' diligence in symptom recognition and management of ADHD across developmental phases from childhood through adulthood. © Copyright 2012 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.

Plugging the attention deficit: perceptual load counters increased distraction in ADHD.

PubMed

Forster, Sophie; Robertson, David J; Jennings, Alistair; Asherson, Philip; Lavie, Nilli

2014-01-01

Increased vulnerability to extraneous distraction is a key symptom of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which may have particularly disruptive consequences. Here we apply Load Theory of attention to increase understanding of this symptom, and to explore a potential method for ameliorating it. Previous research in nonclinical populations has highlighted increased perceptual load as a means of improving the ability to focus attention and avoid distraction. The present study examines whether adults with ADHD can also benefit from conditions of high perceptual load to improve their focused attention abilities. We tested adults with ADHD and age- and IQ-matched controls on a novel measure of irrelevant distraction under load, designed to parallel the form of distraction that is symptomatic of ADHD. During a letter search task, in which perceptual load was varied through search set size, participants were required to ignore salient yet entirely irrelevant distractors (colorful images of cartoon characters) presented infrequently (10% of trials). The presence of these distractors produced a significantly greater interference effect on the search RTs for the adults with ADHD compared with controls, p = .005, ηp² = .231. Perceptual load, however, significantly reduced distractor interference for the ADHD group and was as effective in reducing the elevated distractor interference in ADHD as it was for controls. These findings clarify the nature of the attention deficit underlying increased distraction in ADHD, and demonstrate a tangible method for overcoming it.

Plugging the Attention Deficit: Perceptual Load Counters Increased Distraction in ADHD

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Objective: Increased vulnerability to extraneous distraction is a key symptom of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which may have particularly disruptive consequences. Here we apply Load Theory of attention to increase understanding of this symptom, and to explore a potential method for ameliorating it. Previous research in nonclinical populations has highlighted increased perceptual load as a means of improving the ability to focus attention and avoid distraction. The present study examines whether adults with ADHD can also benefit from conditions of high perceptual load to improve their focused attention abilities. Method: We tested adults with ADHD and age- and IQ-matched controls on a novel measure of irrelevant distraction under load, designed to parallel the form of distraction that is symptomatic of ADHD. During a letter search task, in which perceptual load was varied through search set size, participants were required to ignore salient yet entirely irrelevant distractors (colorful images of cartoon characters) presented infrequently (10% of trials). Results: The presence of these distractors produced a significantly greater interference effect on the search RTs for the adults with ADHD compared with controls, p = .005, ηp2 = .231. Perceptual load, however, significantly reduced distractor interference for the ADHD group and was as effective in reducing the elevated distractor interference in ADHD as it was for controls. Conclusions: These findings clarify the nature of the attention deficit underlying increased distraction in ADHD, and demonstrate a tangible method for overcoming it. PMID:24219607

Reading Performance of Young Adults With ADHD Diagnosed in Childhood.

PubMed

Miranda, Ana; Mercader, Jessica; Fernández, M Inmaculada; Colomer, Carla

2017-02-01

To study reading performance of young adults with ADHD and its relation with executive functioning. Thirty young adults with a childhood diagnosis of ADHD and 30 with normal development (ND) were compared on reading accuracy, fluency, and comprehension. Furthermore, ADHD with reading disabilities (ADHD+RD) and ADHD without reading disabilities (ADHD-RD) subgroups were compared using self-report and informant-report versions of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult version (BRIEF-A). Adults with ADHD obtained significantly worse results than the ND adults on reading speed, responses to literal questions, and a cloze test. Although the comparison of the ADHD+RD and ADHD-RD groups did not show significant differences on the BRIEF-A subscales, the ADHD+RD group surpassed the critical percentile (85) on more subscales, with working memory and metacognition especially affected. The findings point out that reading should be assessed in individuals with ADHD as part of their evaluation to design effective early interventions.

Comparative Study of Children with ADHD Only, Autism Spectrum Disorder + ADHD, and Chronic Multiple Tic Disorder + ADHD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gadow, Kenneth D.; DeVincent, Carla J.; Schneider, Jayne

2009-01-01

Objective: Identification of differences among children with ADHD only, autism spectrum disorder (ASD)+ADHD, and chronic multiple tic disorder (CMTD)+ADHD may lead to better understanding of clinical phenotypes. Method: Children were evaluated using the parent- and teacher-completed questionnaires. Results: All three groups were highly similar in…

Atypical Default Network Connectivity in Youth with ADHD

PubMed Central

Fair, Damien A.; Posner, Jonathan; Nagel, Bonnie J.; Bathula, Deepti; Dias, Taciana G. Costa; Mills, Kathryn L.; Blythe, Michael S.; Giwa, Aishat; Schmitt, Colleen F.; Nigg, Joel T.

2010-01-01

Background Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a major public health concern. It has been suggested that the brain’s default network may provide a crucial avenue for understanding the neurobiology of ADHD. Evaluations of the default network have increased over recent years with the applied technique of resting-state functional connectivity MRI (rs-fcMRI). These investigations have established that spontaneous activity in this network is highly correlated at rest in young adult populations. This coherence seems to be reduced in adults with ADHD. This is an intriguing finding, as coherence in spontaneous activity within the default network strengthens with age. Thus, the pathophysiology of ADHD might include delayed or disrupted maturation of the default network. If so, it is important to determine whether an altered developmental picture can be detected using rs-fcMRI in children with ADHD. Methods The present study utilized the typical developmental context provided previously by Fair et al (1) to examine coherence of brain activity within the default network using rs-fcMRI in children with (n=23) and without ADHD (n=23). Results We found that functional connections previously shown as developmentally dynamic in the default network were atypical in children with ADHD - consistent with perturbation or failure of the maturational processes. Conclusions These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that atypical consolidation of this network over development plays a role in ADHD. PMID:20728873

ADHD in Tunisian Adolescents: Prevalence and Associated Factors.

PubMed

Mhalla, Ahmed; Guedria, Asma; Brahem, Takoua; Amamou, Badii; Sboui, Wiem; Gaddour, Naoufel; Gaha, Lotfi

2018-01-01

The aims of the study were to determine the prevalence of ADHD in a population of high school students and to explore the factors associated with this disorder. This was a cross-sectional study that had included 447 high school students. The diagnosis of ADHD was made by the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale translated in Arabic language. The sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were evaluated by a preestablished questionnaire. The self-esteem was assessed by the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. The prevalence of ADHD was 18.1%. The logistic regression analysis showed an association between the diagnosis of ADHD and the bad relationships with parents (odds ratio [OR] = 16.43; p < 10-3), the presence of personal psychiatric antecedents (OR = 12.16; p < 10-3), internet misuse (OR = 2.39; p = .014), and maltreatment antecedents (OR = 3.16; p = .009). The prevalence of ADHD in this study was one of the highest prevalence reported. The factors associated with ADHD may have diagnostic and therapeutic implications.

Do firstborn children have an increased risk of ADHD?

PubMed

Marín, Adela Masana; Seco, Fernando Lopez; Serrano, Susana Martí; García, Silvia Acosta; Gaviria Gómez, Ana Milena; Ney, Inti

2014-10-01

Although previous reports have found no birth-order influence on ADHD risk, the authors hypothesize that being the firstborn is a risk factor for developing ADHD. They selected all of the currently treated ADHD outpatients (n = 748) from our database. Families with adopted sons, nonnuclear families, and families with only one child and with sons (affected or unaffected) younger than 6 or older than 18 years were excluded. A total of 181 families with 213 ADHD sons met the inclusion criteria. We used all siblings without a clinical diagnosis of ADHD and who had no contact with our service as our unaffected controls (n = 173). The bivariate analysis showed that ADHD was associated with birth order and that firstborn children had nearly twice the ADHD risk of children with other birth orders. birth order can be an ADHD risk factor in clinical samples. © 2012 SAGE Publications.

[Symptom variations in ADHD: importance of context, development and comorbidity].

PubMed

Purper-Ouakil, D; Wohl, M; Michel, G; Mouren, M C; Gorwood, P

2004-01-01

Attention-deficit hyperactivity (ADHD) is a common disorder in school-aged children and is associated with significant impairment in social and academic functioning. Its recognition is based on congruent information from different sources, because most ADHD children and adolescents are not completely aware of impairments caused by inattention and/or hyperactivity/impulsivity. Fluctuations in symptom expression may complicate the diagnosis: during clinical examination or tests sessions, ADHD symptoms may be less severe than usual or completely absent. This review examines variations in ADHD symptoms due to environmental context, internal state, circadian factors, development, psychiatric comorbidity and discusses their clinical relevance. Generally, ADHD symptoms are pervasive and identified in different areas of functioning. Despite their chronicity, they show a relative context-dependency. An unfamiliar environment or situation may lessen symptoms. The same happens in dual relations or in calm settings, when the child receives attention and positive reinforcement from the adult. On the contrary, the classroom situation with its high stimulation level (noise, visual distractors, large class size) is likely to reveal or accentuate instability, impulsivity and inattention. Independently from objective symptom fluctuations, the impact of ADHD symptoms, and their consequences on self-esteem may also vary with the degree of environmental mismatch. Recent research in experimental psychology also draws attention to the motivational state of ADHD children: preference for immediate gratification and delay aversion may explain why most of them show satisfactory attentional capacities in certain activities (for instance video games or TV), while showing impairment in school work or in other effortful tasks. The diagnosis of the full ADHD syndrome requires significant impact on functioning in at least two areas. Some children with "situational" ADHD are impaired either in

Effectiveness of a program using a vehicle tracking system, incentives, and disincentives to reduce the speeding behavior of drivers with ADHD.

PubMed

Markham, Paula T; Porter, Bryan E; Ball, J D

2013-04-01

In this article, the authors investigated the effectiveness of a behavior modification program using global positioning system (GPS) vehicle tracking devices with contingency incentives and disincentives to reduce the speeding behavior of drivers with ADHD. Using an AB multiple-baseline design, six participants drove a 5-mile stable driving route weekly while GPS devices recorded speeds. The dependent variable was percentage of feet speeding. Following an initial baseline period, five participants received treatment. One participant remained at baseline. Visual inspection of individual participant graphs, reductions in mean percentages of speeding from baseline to treatment across participants (M = 82%), C-statistic analyses, and visual graphs with applied binomial formula supported a treatment effect. The between-participant analysis using R n Test of Ranks was significant, R n = 6, p < .01, and complemented a clean multiple-baseline result. Results indicated that this treatment program was effective in reducing speeding by drivers with ADHD and warrants replication.

Home environment: association with hyperactivity/impulsivity in children with ADHD and their non-ADHD siblings

PubMed Central

Mulligan, Aisling; Anney, Richard; Butler, Louise; O’Regan, Myra; Richardson, Thomas; Tulewicz, Edyta Maria; Fitzgerald, Michael; Gill, Michael

2011-01-01

Objective We wished to ascertain if there is an association between symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and home environment in children with ADHD and non-ADHD siblings, controlling for other environmental measures. Method 96 children with ADHD combined type (ADHD-CT) and their siblings participated in the study. Parent and teacher Conners’ rating scales were completed and home environment was assessed using the Middle Childhood and Early Adolescent Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME). ADHD symptoms were assessed for correlation with HOME in children with ADHD-CT and non-ADHD siblings and multiple regression analysis was used to control for gender, socio-economic status, exposure to nicotine, exposure to alcohol in utero, birth weight, gestational age, pregnancy and perinatal risk factors. The presence of oppositional disorders was assessed for association with HOME score in those with ADHD-CT. The multiple regression analysis was repeated controlling for environmental factors and for oppositional disorders in those with ADHD-CT. Oppositional symptoms were assessed for correlation with HOME score in non-ADHD siblings. Results Teacher-rated hyperactive/impulsive scores correlated with HOME (r = −.27, p <.01) in children with ADHD-CT. This association remained significant when other environmental factors and oppositional disorders were controlled for. Environmental factors and gender contributed to 30% of the variance of ADHD symptoms in ADHD-CT. Parent-rated hyperactive/impulsive scores also correlated with HOME (r = −.28, p < .05) for non-ADHD siblings. An association between HOME and diagnosis of oppositional defiant disorder or CD was found for children with ADHD-CT and between HOME and oppositional symptoms in non-ADHD siblings. Conclusions The home environment has a small but significant association with hyperactive/impulsive symptoms in children with ADHD-CT and non-ADHD siblings. This association remained

Effectiveness of a Program Using a Vehicle Tracking System, Incentives, and Disincentives to Reduce the Speeding Behavior of Drivers with ADHD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Markham, Paula T.; Porter, Bryan E.; Ball, J. D.

2013-01-01

Objective: In this article, the authors investigated the effectiveness of a behavior modification program using global positioning system (GPS) vehicle tracking devices with contingency incentives and disincentives to reduce the speeding behavior of drivers with ADHD. Method: Using an AB multiple-baseline design, six participants drove a 5-mile…

ADHD and Depression Symptoms in Parent Couples Predict Response to Child ADHD and ODD Behavior.

PubMed

Wymbs, Brian T; Dawson, Anne E; Egan, Theresa E; Sacchetti, Gina M; Tams, Sean T; Wymbs, Frances A

2017-04-01

Parents of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) often have elevated ADHD and depressive symptoms, both of which increase the risk of ineffective parenting and interparental discord. However, little is known about whether child ADHD/ODD behavior and parent ADHD or depressive symptoms uniquely or synergistically predict the quality of parenting and interparental communication during triadic (mother-father-child) interactions. Ninety parent couples, including 51 who have children diagnosed with ADHD, were randomly assigned to interact with a 9-12 year-old confederate child (84 % male) exhibiting either ADHD/ODD-like behavior or typical behavior. Parents reported their own ADHD and depressive symptoms, and parents and observers rated the quality of parenting and interparental communication during the interaction. Actor-partner interdependence modeling indicated that child ADHD/ODD behavior predicted less positive and more negative parenting and communication, independent of adult ADHD and depressive symptoms. Parent couples including two parents with elevated ADHD communicated more positively while managing children exhibiting ADHD/ODD behavior than couples managing children behaving typically or couples with only one parent with elevated ADHD symptoms. Couples including one parent with, and one parent without, elevated ADHD or depressive symptoms parented less positively and more negatively, and communicated more negatively, when managing children exhibiting ADHD/ODD behavior than when managing children behaving typically. Taken together, depending on the similarity of ADHD and depressive symptom levels in parent couples, adults managing children exhibiting ADHD/ODD behavior may parent or communicate positively or negatively. Findings highlight the need to consider the psychopathology of both parents when treating children with ADHD in two-parent homes.

Linking ADHD to the Neural Circuitry of Attention

PubMed Central

Mueller, Adrienne; Hong, David S.; Shepard, Steven; Moore, Tirin

2017-01-01

ADHD is a complex condition with a heterogeneous presentation. Current diagnosis is primarily based on subjective experience and observer reports of behavioral symptoms – an approach that has significant limitations. Many studies show that individuals with ADHD exhibit poorer performance on cognitive tasks than neurotypical controls, and at least seven main functional domains appear implicated in ADHD. We discuss the underlying neural mechanisms of cognitive functions associated with ADHD with emphasis on the neural basis of selective attention, demonstrating the feasibility of basic research approaches for further understanding cognitive behavioral processes as they relate to human psychopathology. The study of circuit-level mechanisms underlying executive functions in nonhuman primates holds promise for advancing our understanding, and ultimately the treatment, of ADHD. PMID:28483638

Executive Functioning Heterogeneity in Pediatric ADHD.

PubMed

Kofler, Michael J; Irwin, Lauren N; Soto, Elia F; Groves, Nicole B; Harmon, Sherelle L; Sarver, Dustin E

2018-04-28

Neurocognitive heterogeneity is increasingly recognized as a valid phenomenon in ADHD, with most estimates suggesting that executive dysfunction is present in only about 33%-50% of these children. However, recent critiques question the veracity of these estimates because our understanding of executive functioning in ADHD is based, in large part, on data from single tasks developed to detect gross neurological impairment rather than the specific executive processes hypothesized to underlie the ADHD phenotype. The current study is the first to comprehensively assess heterogeneity in all three primary executive functions in ADHD using a criterion battery that includes multiple tests per construct (working memory, inhibitory control, set shifting). Children ages 8-13 (M = 10.37, SD = 1.39) with and without ADHD (N = 136; 64 girls; 62% Caucasian/Non-Hispanic) completed a counterbalanced series of executive function tests. Accounting for task unreliability, results indicated significantly improved sensitivity and specificity relative to prior estimates, with 89% of children with ADHD demonstrating objectively-defined impairment on at least one executive function (62% impaired working memory, 27% impaired inhibitory control, 38% impaired set shifting; 54% impaired on one executive function, 35% impaired on two or all three executive functions). Children with working memory deficits showed higher parent- and teacher-reported ADHD inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive symptoms (BF 10  = 5.23 × 10 4 ), and were slightly younger (BF 10  = 11.35) than children without working memory deficits. Children with vs. without set shifting or inhibitory control deficits did not differ on ADHD symptoms, age, gender, IQ, SES, or medication status. Taken together, these findings confirm that ADHD is characterized by neurocognitive heterogeneity, while suggesting that contemporary, cognitively-informed criteria may provide improved precision for identifying a

Asperger Syndrome: a frequent comorbidity in first diagnosed adult ADHD patients?

PubMed

Roy, Mandy; Ohlmeier, Martin D; Osterhagen, Lasse; Prox-Vagedes, Vanessa; Dillo, Wolfgang

2013-06-01

Because adult ADHD is often accompanied by psychiatric comorbidities, the diagnostic process should include a thorough investigation for comorbid disorders. Asperger-Syndrome is rarely reported in adult ADHD and commonly little attention is paid to this possible comorbidity. We investigated 53 adult ADHD-patients which visited our out patient clinic for first ADHD-diagnosis (17 females, 36 males; range of age: 18-56 years) for the frequency of a comorbid Asperger-Syndrome. Diagnosis of this autism-spectrum disorder was confirmed by applying the appropriate DSM-IV-criteria. Additionally we tested the power of the two screening-instruments "Autism-spectrum quotient" (AQ) and "Empathy quotient" (EQ) by Baron-Cohen for screening Asperger-Syndrome in adult ADHD. Eight ADHD-patients were diagnosed with a comorbid Asperger-Syndrome (15.1%). The difference in AQ- and EQ-scores between pure ADHD-patients and comorbid patients was analysed, showing significantly higher scores in AQ and significant lower scores in EQ in comorbid patients. Results show that the frequency of Asperger-Syndrome seems to be substantially increased in adult ADHD (versus the prevalence of 0.06% in the general population), indicating that investigators of adult ADHD should also be attentive to autism-spectrum disorders. Especially the AQ seems to be a potential screening instrument for Asperger-Syndrome in adult ADHD-patients.

Vulnerability to the Irrelevant Sound Effect in Adult ADHD.

PubMed

Pelletier, Marie-France; Hodgetts, Helen M; Lafleur, Martin F; Vincent, Annick; Tremblay, Sébastien

2016-04-01

An ecologically valid adaptation of the irrelevant sound effect paradigm was employed to examine the relative roles of short-term memory, selective attention, and sustained attention in ADHD. In all, 32 adults with ADHD and 32 control participants completed a serial recall task in silence or while ignoring irrelevant background sound. Serial recall performance in adults with ADHD was reduced relative to controls in both conditions. The degree of interference due to irrelevant sound was greater for adults with ADHD. Furthermore, a positive correlation was observed between task performance under conditions of irrelevant sound and the extent of attentional problems reported by patients on a clinical symptom scale. The results demonstrate that adults with ADHD exhibit impaired short-term memory and a low resistance to distraction; however, their capacity for sustained attention is preserved as the impact of irrelevant sound diminished over the course of the task. © The Author(s) 2013.

Comparing ADHD in Velocardiofacial Syndrome to Idiopathic ADHD: A Preliminary Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Antshel, Kevin M.; Faraone, Stephen V.; Fremont, Wanda; Monuteaux, Michael C.; Kates, Wendy R.; Doyle, Alysa; Mick, Eric; Biederman, Joseph

2007-01-01

Objective: Background: Children with velocardiofacial syndrome (VCFS), a contiguous deletion syndrome, have an increased prevalence of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Method: The authors compared youth with VCFS+ADHD (from the SUNY Upstate VCFS Research Program) to those with ADHD but not VCFS (from the Massachusetts General…

The Structure of Adult ADHD

PubMed Central

Adler, Lenard A.; Faraone, Stephen V.; Spencer, Thomas J.; Berglund, Patricia; Alperin, Samuel; Kessler, Ronald C.

2017-01-01

Although DSM-5 stipulates that symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are the same for adults as children, clinical observations suggest that adults have more diverse deficits than children in higher-level executive functioning and emotional control. Previous psychometric analyses to evaluate these observations have been limited in ways addressed in the current study, which analyzes the structure of an expanded set of adult ADHD symptoms in 3 pooled U.S. samples: a national household sample, a sample of health plan members, and a sample of adults referred for evaluation at an adult ADHD clinic. Exploratory factor analysis found 4 factors representing executive dysfunction/inattention (including, but not limited to, all the DSM-5 inattentive symptoms, with non-DSM symptoms having factor loadings comparable to those of DSM symptoms), hyperactivity, impulsivity, and emotional dyscontrol. Empirically-derived multivariate symptom profiles were broadly consistent with the DSM-5 inattentive-only, hyperactive/impulsive-only, and combined presentations, but with inattention including executive dysfunction/inattention and hyperactivity-only limited to hyperactivity without high symptoms of impulsivity. These results show that executive dysfunction is as central as DSM-5 symptoms to adult ADHD, while emotional dyscontrol is more distinct but prominent resent in the combined presentation of adult ADHD. PMID:28211596

Measuring impairment when diagnosing adolescent ADHD: Differentiating problems due to ADHD versus other sources.

PubMed

Vazquez, Alejandro L; H Sibley, Margaret; Campez, Mileini

2018-06-01

The DSM-5 requires clinicians to link ADHD symptoms to clinically meaningful impairments in daily life functioning. Measuring impairment during ADHD assessments may be particularly challenging in adolescence, when ADHD is often not the sole source of a youth's difficulties. Existing impairment rating scales are criticized for not specifying ADHD as the source of impairment in their instructions, leading to potential problems with rating scale specificity. The current study utilized a within subjects design (N = 107) to compare parent report of impairment on two versions of a global impairment measure: one that specified ADHD as the source of impairment (Impairment Rating Scale-ADHD) and a standard version that did not (Impairment Rating Scale). On the standard family impairment item, parents endorsed greater impairment as compared to the IRS-ADHD. This finding was particularly pronounced when parents reported high levels of parenting stress. More severe ADHD symptoms were associated with greater concordance between the two versions. Findings indicate that adolescent family related impairments reported during ADHD assessments may be due to sources other than ADHD symptoms, such as developmental maladjustment. To prevent false positive diagnoses, symptom-specific wording may optimize impairment measures when assessing family functioning in diagnostic assessments for adolescents with ADHD. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Structure and Diagnosis of Adult ADHD: An Analysis of Expanded Symptom Criteria from the Adult ADHD Clinical Diagnostic Scale (ACDS)

PubMed Central

Kessler, Ronald C.; Green, Jennifer Greif; Adler, Lenard A.; Barkley, Russell A.; Chatterji, Somnath; Faraone, Stephen V.; Finkelman, Matthew; Greenhill, Laurence L.; Gruber, Michael J.; Jewell, Mark; Russo, Leo J.; Sampson, Nancy A.; Van Brunt, David L.

2011-01-01

CONTEXT Controversy exists about the appropriate criteria for a diagnosis of adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) OBJECTIVES To examine the structure and symptoms most predictive of DSM-IV adult ADHD. DESIGN Data come from clinical interviews in enriched sub-samples of the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R) (n = 131) and a survey of a large managed healthcare plan (n = 214). The clinician-administered Adult ADHD Clinical Diagnostic Scale (ACDS) was used to assess childhood ADHD and expanded symptoms of current adult ADHD. Analyses examined stability of symptoms from childhood to adulthood, the structure of adult ADHD, and the adult symptoms most predictive of current clinical diagnoses. SETTING The ACDS was administered telephonically by clinical research interviewers with extensive experience in diagnosis and treatment of adult ADHD. PARTICIPANTS An enriched sample of community respondents MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES DSM-IV/ACDS diagnoses of adult ADHD RESULTS Almost half (45.7%) of respondents who had childhood ADHD continued to meet full DSM-IV criteria for current adult ADHD, with 94.9% of these cases having current attention-deficit disorder and 34.6% current hyperactivity disorder. Adult persistence was much greater for inattention than hyperactivity-impulsivity. Additional respondents met full criteria for current adult ADHD despite not having met full childhood criteria. A three-factor structure of adult symptoms included executive functioning, inattention-hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Stepwise logistic regression found executive functioning problems to be the most consistent and discriminating predictors of adult DSM-IV/ACDS ADHD. CONCLUSIONS These findings document the greater persistence of inattentive than hyperactive/impulsive childhood symptoms of ADHD in adulthood, but also show that inattention in not specific to ADHD, as it is strongly associated with other adult mental disorders. Executive functioning problems, in

Distinct effects of ASD and ADHD symptoms on reward anticipation in participants with ADHD, their unaffected siblings and healthy controls: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

van Dongen, Eelco V; von Rhein, Daniel; O'Dwyer, Laurence; Franke, Barbara; Hartman, Catharina A; Heslenfeld, Dirk J; Hoekstra, Pieter J; Oosterlaan, Jaap; Rommelse, Nanda; Buitelaar, Jan

2015-01-01

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) traits are continuously distributed throughout the population, and ASD symptoms are also frequently observed in patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Both ASD and ADHD have been linked to alterations in reward-related neural processing. However, whether both symptom domains interact and/or have distinct effects on reward processing in healthy and ADHD populations is currently unknown. We examined how variance in ASD and ADHD symptoms in individuals with ADHD and healthy participants was related to the behavioural and neural response to reward during a monetary incentive delay (MID) task. Participants (mean age: 17.7 years, range: 10-28 years) from the NeuroIMAGE study with a confirmed diagnosis of ADHD (n = 136), their unaffected siblings (n = 83), as well as healthy controls (n = 105) performed an MID task in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. ASD and ADHD symptom scores were used as predictors of the neural response to reward anticipation and reward receipt. Behavioural responses were modeled using linear mixed models; neural responses were analysed using FMRIB's Software Library (FSL) proprietary mixed effects analysis (FLAMEO). ASD and ADHD symptoms were associated with alterations in BOLD activity during reward anticipation, but not reward receipt. Specifically, ASD scores were related to increased insular activity during reward anticipation across the sample. No interaction was found between this effect and the presence of ADHD, suggesting that ASD symptoms had no differential effect in ADHD and healthy populations. ADHD symptom scores were associated with reduced dorsolateral prefrontal activity during reward anticipation. No interactions were found between the effects of ASD and ADHD symptoms on reward processing. Variance in ASD and ADHD symptoms separately influence neural processing during reward anticipation in both individuals with (an increased risk of) ADHD and healthy

[Efficacy of frequency-neurofeedback and Cogmed JM-working memory training in children with ADHD].

PubMed

van Dongen-Boomsma, M; Vollebregt, M A; Slaats-Willemse, D; Buitelaar, J K

2015-01-01

The need for and the interest in non-pharmacological treatments for children with ADHD are increasing. The treatments include electro-encephalogram (EEG) frequency-neurofeedback and Cogmed working memory training. To investigate the efficacy of frequency-neurofeedback and Cogmed working memory training in children with ADHD. Forty-one children with ADHD (aged 8-15 years) were assigned to frequency-neurofeedback or to placebo-neurofeedback in a randomized double-blind trial. We took measurements to find out whether frequency-neurofeedback had reduced the severity of the ADHD-symptoms, and/or had improved neurocognitive ability and global clinical functioning. Fifty-one children with ADHD (aged 5-7 years) were assigned to the active Cogmed JM-working memory training or to the placebo working memory training in a randomised double-blind trial. We took measurements to find out whether Cogmed JM-working memory training had reduced the ADHD symptoms, and/or had improved neurocognitive ability, daily performance and global clinical functioning. The ADHD symptoms and global clinical functioning of the children in both neurofeedback groups improved. However, frequency-neurofeedback did nor produce any significantly better treatment results than did the placebo neurofeedback. At the neurocognitive level, frequency-neurofeedback did not yield any measurements that were significantly superior to those achieved with placebo feedback. Various outcome measurements improved in both groups with memory training. However, the active working memory training was not found to have produced significantly better results than the placebo training with regards to the ADHD symptoms, neurocognitive ability and daily and global functioning. Children from the active working memory training group showed improvements in trained working memory tasks but not on untrained tasks. Neither study produced any conclusive evidence for the efficacy of the investigated treatments in children with ADHD

Expressive writing difficulties in children described as exhibiting ADHD symptoms.

PubMed

Re, Anna Maria; Pedron, Martina; Cornoldi, Cesare

2007-01-01

Three groups of children of different ages who were considered by their teachers as showing symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and matched controls were tested in a series of expressive writing tasks, derived from a standardized writing test. In the first study, 24 sixth- and seventh-grade children with ADHD symptoms wrote a description of an image. The ADHD group's expressive writing was worse than that of the control group and associated with a higher number of errors, mainly concerning accents and geminates. The second study showed the generality of the effect by testing younger groups of children with ADHD symptoms and controls with another description task where a verbal description was substituted for the picture stimulus. The third study extended the previous observations with another type of writing task, the request of writing a narrative text. In all the three studies, children with ADHD symptoms scored lower than controls on four qualitative parameters (adequacy, structure, grammar, and lexicon), produced shorter texts, and made more errors. These studies show that children with ADHD symptoms have school difficulties also in writing-both in spelling and expression-and that these difficulties are extended to different tasks and ages.

Handwriting in children with ADHD.

PubMed

Langmaid, Rebecca A; Papadopoulos, Nicole; Johnson, Beth P; Phillips, James G; Rinehart, Nicole J

2014-08-01

Children with ADHD-combined type (ADHD-CT) display fine and gross motor problems, often expressed as handwriting difficulties. This study aimed to kinematically characterize the handwriting of children with ADHD using a cursive letter l's task. In all, 28 boys (7-12 years), 14 ADHD-CT and 14 typically developing (TD), without developmental coordination disorder (DCD) or comorbid autism, wrote a series of four cursive letter l's using a graphics tablet and stylus. Children with ADHD-CT had more inconsistent writing size than did TD controls. In addition, ADHD-CT symptom severity, specifically inattention, predicted poorer handwriting outcomes. In a sample of children with ADHD-CT who do not have DCD or autism, subtle handwriting differences were evident. It was concluded that handwriting might be impaired in children with ADHD in a manner dependent on symptom severity. This may reflect reports of underlying motor impairment in ADHD. © 2011 SAGE Publications.

Ventral striatal hyperconnectivity during rewarded interference control in adolescents with ADHD.

PubMed

Ma, Ili; van Holstein, Mieke; Mies, Gabry W; Mennes, Maarten; Buitelaar, Jan; Cools, Roshan; Cillessen, Antonius H N; Krebs, Ruth M; Scheres, Anouk

2016-09-01

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterized by cognitive deficits (e.g., interference control) and altered reward processing. Cognitive control is influenced by incentive motivation and according to current theoretical models, ADHD is associated with abnormal interactions between incentive motivation and cognitive control. However, the neural mechanisms by which reward modulates cognitive control in individuals with ADHD are unknown. We used event-related functional resonance imaging (fMRI) to study neural responses during a rewarded Stroop color-word task in adolescents (14-17 years) with ADHD (n = 25; 19 boys) and healthy controls (n = 33; 22 boys). Adolescents with ADHD showed increased reward signaling within the superior frontal gyrus and ventral striatum (VS) relative to controls. Importantly, functional connectivity analyses revealed a hyperconnectivity between VS and motor control regions in the ADHD group, as a function of reward-cognitive control integration. Connectivity was associated with performance improvement in controls but not in the ADHD group, suggesting inefficient connectivity. Adolescents with ADHD show increased neural sensitivity to rewards and its interactions with interference control in VS and motor regions, respectively. The findings support theoretical models of altered reward-cognitive control integration in individuals with ADHD. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Is emotion recognition the only problem in ADHD? effects of pharmacotherapy on face and emotion recognition in children with ADHD.

PubMed

Demirci, Esra; Erdogan, Ayten

2016-12-01

The objectives of this study were to evaluate both face and emotion recognition, to detect differences among attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) subgroups, to identify effects of the gender and to assess the effects of methylphenidate and atomoxetine treatment on both face and emotion recognition in patients with ADHD. The study sample consisted of 41 male, 29 female patients, 8-15 years of age, who were diagnosed as having combined type ADHD (N = 26), hyperactive/impulsive type ADHD (N = 21) or inattentive type ADHD (N = 23) but had not previously used any medication for ADHD and 35 male, 25 female healthy individuals. Long-acting methylphenidate (OROS-MPH) was prescribed to 38 patients, whereas atomoxetine was prescribed to 32 patients. The reading the mind in the eyes test (RMET) and Benton face recognition test (BFRT) were applied to all participants before and after treatment. The patients with ADHD had a significantly lower number of correct answers in child and adolescent RMET and in BFRT than the healthy controls. Among the ADHD subtypes, the hyperactive/impulsive subtype had a lower number of correct answers in the RMET than the inattentive subtypes, and the hyperactive/impulsive subtype had a lower number of correct answers in short and long form of BFRT than the combined and inattentive subtypes. Male and female patients with ADHD did not differ significantly with respect to the number of correct answers on the RMET and BFRT. The patients showed significant improvement in RMET and BFRT after treatment with OROS-MPH or atomoxetine. Patients with ADHD have difficulties in face recognition as well as emotion recognition. Both OROS-MPH and atomoxetine affect emotion recognition. However, further studies on the face and emotion recognition are needed in ADHD.

Longer eye contact improves ADHD children's compliance with parents' commands.

PubMed

Kapalka, G M

2004-08-01

This study evaluated the effectiveness of eye contact in reducing ADHD children's problems with compliance. Seventy-six parents of ADHD boys between ages 5 and 10 were randomized into two treatment groups and a control group. Repeated-measures ANOVA revealed that, as hypothesized, eye contact was effective in reducing ADHD children's problems with non-compliance to their parents' commands. In addition, those parents who subsequently used a stare technique for 20 to 30 seconds following the command reported even greater reduction in problems with compliance. It is possible that the additional time following the command allows the child to process the situation and decide whether compliance or non-compliance is the better option. It is a parent that parent - training programs should consider the inclusion of this technique in their treatment paradigms.

Characteristics of undiagnosed children with parent-reported ADHD behaviour.

PubMed

Madsen, Kathrine Bang; Ravn, Mette Holmelin; Arnfred, Jon; Olsen, Jørn; Rask, Charlotte Ulrikka; Obel, Carsten

2018-02-01

There is an ongoing public debate on the diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in which critics have claimed that the disorder is over-diagnosed, while the potential under-diagnosis of children with ADHD has received little attention. In this study we estimate the number of children with parent-reported ADHD behaviour at age 7 and absence of recorded ADHD diagnosis through adolescence, and investigate whether socio-demographic characteristics of this group differed from the children diagnosed with ADHD during follow-up. Our study was based on data from the Danish National Birth Cohort, where parents of 51,527 children completed questionnaires, including the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). ADHD diagnosis was identified through Danish registers and parent-reported ADHD behaviour by the specific SDQ subscale. Socio-demographic predictors of positive parent-reported SDQ ADHD behaviour and absence of recorded ADHD diagnosis in their children were examined using logistic regression analyses. Children with parent-reported ADHD behaviour and no diagnosis (1.3%) were more likely to be girls (OR 1.83; 95% CI 1.45; 2.29), more likely to have mothers with a low socioeconomic status (OR high vs. low 1.49; 95% CI 1.10; 2.02), and to live in certain regions of the country (OR: Capital vs. Southern: 2.04; 95% CI 1.51; 2.73) than children with an ADHD diagnosis. The children showed markedly impairments on all the SDQ subscales. The results demonstrate a considerable number of children with ADHD symptoms who potentially go undetected and underline the influence of socio-demographic factors in the pathway to a diagnosis of ADHD.

Recalled Initiation and Duration of Maternal Breastfeeding Among Children with and Without ADHD in a Well Characterized Case-Control Sample.

PubMed

Stadler, Diane D; Musser, Erica D; Holton, Kathleen F; Shannon, Jackilen; Nigg, Joel T

2016-02-01

Early environmental influences are increasingly of interest in understanding ADHD as a neurodevelopmental condition, particularly in light of recognition that gene by environment interplay are likely involved in this condition. Breastfeeding duration predicts cognitive development, as well as development of brain white matter connectivity, in areas similar to those seen in ADHD. Prior studies show an association between breastfeeding and ADHD but without adequate evaluation of ADHD. A case control cohort of 474 children aged 7-13 years was examined, 291 with well characterized ADHD (71.5 % male) and the rest typically developing controls (51.9 % male). Mothers retrospectively reported on breast feeding initiation and duration. Initiation of breastfeeding was not associated with child ADHD, but shorter duration of breastfeeding was associated with child ADHD with a medium effect size (d = 0.40, p < 0.05); this effect held after covarying a broad set of potential confounders, including child oppositional defiant and conduct problems and including maternal and paternal ADHD symptoms. Effects were replicated across both parent and teacher ratings of child ADHD symptoms. Shorter duration of breastfeeding is among several risk factors in early life associated with future ADHD, or else longer duration is protective. The direction of this effect is unknown, however. It may be that some children are more difficult to breastfeed or that breastfeeding provides nutrients or other benefits that reduce future chance of ADHD.

Effects of Neurofeekback Training on EEG, Continuous Performance Task (CPT), and ADHD Symptoms in ADHD-prone College Students.

PubMed

Ryoo, Manhee; Son, Chongnak

2015-12-01

This study explored the effects of neurofeedback training on Electroencephalogram (EEG), Continuous Performance Task (CPT) and ADHD symptoms in ADHD prone college students. Two hundred forty seven college students completed Korean Version of Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scales (CAARS-K) and Korean Version of Beck Depression Inventory (K-BDI). The 16 participants who ranked in the top 25% of CAARS-K score and had 16 less of K-BDI score participated in this study. Among them, 8 participants who are fit for the research schedule were assigned to neurofeedback training group and 8 not fit for the research schedule to the control group. All participants completed Adult Attention Deficiency Questionnaire, CPT and EEG measurement at pretest. The neurofeedback group received 15 neurofeedback training sessions (5 weeks, 3 sessions per week). The control group did not receive any treatment. Four weeks after completion of the program, all participants completed CAARS-K, Adult Attention Deficiency Questionnaire, CPT and EEG measurement for post-test. The neurofeedback group showed more significant improvement in EEG, CPT performance and ADHD symptoms than the control group. The improvements were maintained at follow up. Neurofeedback training adjusted abnormal EEG and was effective in improving objective and subjective ADHD symptoms in ADHD prone college students.

The Role of Nutritional Supplements in the Treatment of ADHD: What the Evidence Says.

PubMed

Lange, Klaus W; Hauser, Joachim; Lange, Katharina M; Makulska-Gertruda, Ewelina; Nakamura, Yukiko; Reissmann, Andreas; Sakaue, Yuko; Takano, Tomoyuki; Takeuchi, Yoshihiro

2017-02-01

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common behavioral disorder in children and adolescents and may persist into adulthood. Insufficient nutritional supply of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) and other components including various minerals has been suggested to play a role in the development of ADHD symptoms. This review presents the evidence regarding the role of nutritional PUFA, zinc, iron, and magnesium supplements in the treatment of ADHD with a focus on the critical evaluation of the relevant literature published from 2014 to April 2016. The evaluation of therapeutic nutritional LC-PUFA supplementation in ADHD has shown mixed and inconclusive results and at best marginal beneficial effects. The benefits of PUFAs are much smaller than the effect sizes observed for traditional pharmacological treatments of ADHD. The effectiveness of PUFA supplements in reducing medication dosage has been suggested but needs to be confirmed. Zinc, iron, and magnesium supplementation may reduce ADHD symptoms in children with or at high risk of deficiencies in these minerals. However, convincing evidence in this regard is lacking.

Effects of behavioral and pharmacological therapies on peer reinforcement of deviancy in children with ADHD-only, ADHD and conduct problems, and controls

PubMed Central

Helseth, Sarah A.; Waschbusch, Daniel A.; Gnagy, Elizabeth M.; Onyango, Adia N.; Burrows-MacLean, Lisa; Fabiano, Gregory A.; Coles, Erika K.; Chacko, Anil; Wymbs, Brian T.; Walker, Kathryn S.; Wymbs, Frances A.; Garefino, Allison; Massetti, Greta M.; Mazzant, Jessica Robb; Hoffman, Martin T.; Waxmonsky, James G.; Nichols-Lopez, Kristin; Pelham, William E.

2015-01-01

Objective This study compared the unique and combined effects of evidence-based treatments for ADHD —stimulant medication and behavior modification—on children’s rates of reinforcement for deviant peer behavior (RDPB). Method Using a within-subjects design, 222 elementary school-age children attending a summer treatment program, including 151 children with ADHD (127 male), with and without comorbid conduct problems, and 71 control children (57 male), received varying combinations of behavior modification (no, low-intensity, and high-intensity) and methylphenidate (placebo, 0.15 mg/kg, 0.30 mg/kg, and 0.60 mg/kg). RDPB was measured through direct observation and compared across all behavior modification and medication conditions. Results Children with ADHD reinforced the deviant behavior of their peers at a significantly higher rate than control children in the absence of either intervention. However, that difference largely disappeared in the presence of both behavior modification and medication. Both low and high-intensity behavior modification, as well as medium (0.30 mg/kg) and high (0.60 mg/kg) doses of methylphenidate, significantly reduced the rate of ADHD children’s RDPB to levels similar to the control group. Conclusions Results indicate that although untreated children with ADHD do engage in RDPB at a greater rate than their non-ADHD peers, existing evidence-based interventions can substantially decrease the presence of RDPB, thereby limiting potential iatrogenic effects in group-based treatment settings. Public Health Significance Statement This study found that children with behavior disorders reinforced their peers' deviant behaviors much more than typically developing children. However, behavior modification and medication treatments both reduced reinforcement rates, indicating that peer contagion can easily be managed in group-based treatments for children PMID:25495357

Associations between abuse/neglect and ADHD from childhood to young adulthood: A prospective nationally-representative twin study.

PubMed

Stern, Adi; Agnew-Blais, Jessica; Danese, Andrea; Fisher, Helen L; Jaffee, Sara R; Matthews, Timothy; Polanczyk, Guilherme V; Arseneault, Louise

2018-05-15

Child maltreatment has consistently been found to be associated with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, the robustness of this association and the direction of the link between maltreatment and ADHD remain unclear. We used data from the Environmental Risk (E-Risk) Longitudinal Twin Study, a cohort of 2232 British twins, to investigate the associations between exposure to abuse/neglect and ADHD in childhood and in young adulthood, and to test their robustness and specificity. We also aimed to test longitudinal associations between abuse/neglect and ADHD from childhood to young adulthood, controlling for confounders. Results indicated strong associations between abuse/neglect and ADHD in childhood and also in young adulthood. In childhood, the association was concentrated among children with comorbid conduct disorder. Longitudinal analyses showed that childhood ADHD predicted abuse/neglect in later years. This association was again concentrated among individuals with comorbid conduct disorder. Abuse/neglect in childhood was not associated with later ADHD in young adulthood after adjusting for childhood ADHD. Our study does not provide support of a causal link between child abuse/neglect and adult ADHD but highlights the possibility of a long-term effect of disruptive behaviors on the risk for experiencing abuse/neglect. These findings emphasize the need for clinicians treating people with ADHD, especially those with comorbid conduct disorder, to be aware of their increased risk for experiencing abuse/neglect. Interventions aimed at reducing risks of abuse/neglect should also focus on the environment of individuals with disruptive behaviors. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

European consensus statement on diagnosis and treatment of adult ADHD: The European Network Adult ADHD

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is among the most common psychiatric disorders of childhood that persists into adulthood in the majority of cases. The evidence on persistence poses several difficulties for adult psychiatry considering the lack of expertise for diagnostic assessment, limited treatment options and patient facilities across Europe. Methods The European Network Adult ADHD, founded in 2003, aims to increase awareness of this disorder and improve knowledge and patient care for adults with ADHD across Europe. This Consensus Statement is one of the actions taken by the European Network Adult ADHD in order to support the clinician with research evidence and clinical experience from 18 European countries in which ADHD in adults is recognised and treated. Results Besides information on the genetics and neurobiology of ADHD, three major questions are addressed in this statement: (1) What is the clinical picture of ADHD in adults? (2) How can ADHD in adults be properly diagnosed? (3) How should ADHD in adults be effectively treated? Conclusions ADHD often presents as an impairing lifelong condition in adults, yet it is currently underdiagnosed and treated in many European countries, leading to ineffective treatment and higher costs of illness. Expertise in diagnostic assessment and treatment of ADHD in adults must increase in psychiatry. Instruments for screening and diagnosis of ADHD in adults are available and appropriate treatments exist, although more research is needed in this age group. PMID:20815868

Is adult ADHD a childhood-onset neurodevelopmental disorder? Evidence from a 4-decade longitudinal cohort study

PubMed Central

Moffitt, Terrie E.; Houts, Renate; Asherson, Philip; Belsky, Daniel W; Corcoran, David L; Hammerle, Maggie; Harrington, Honalee; Hogan, Sean; Meier, Madeline; Polanczyk, Guilherme V.; Poulton, Richie; Ramrakha, Sandhya; Sugden, Karen; Williams, Benjamin; Rohde, Luis Augusto; Caspi, Avshalom

2015-01-01

Objective Despite a prevailing assumption that adult ADHD is a childhood-onset neurodevelopmental disorder, no prospective-longitudinal study has described the childhoods of the adult-ADHD population. We report follow-back analyses of ADHD cases diagnosed in adulthood, alongside follow-forward analyses of ADHD cases diagnosed in childhood, in one cohort. Method Participants belonged to a representative birth cohort of 1,037 individuals born in Dunedin, New Zealand in 1972-73 and followed to age 38, with 95% retention. Symptoms of ADHD, associated clinical features, comorbid disorders, neuropsychological deficits, GWAS-derived polygenic risk, and life impairment indicators were assessed. Data sources were participants, parents, teachers, informants, neuropsychological testing, and administrative records. Adult ADHD diagnoses used DSM5 criteria, apart from onset-age and cross-setting corroboration, which were study outcomes. Results As expected, the childhood-ADHD group showed 6% prevalence, male excess, childhood comorbid disorders, neurocognitive deficits, polygenic risk, and, despite having outgrown their ADHD diagnosis, residual adult life impairment. As expected, the adult-ADHD group showed 3% prevalence, gender balance, adult substance dependence, adult life impairment, and treatment contact. Unexpectedly, the childhood-ADHD and adult-ADHD groups comprised virtually non-overlapping sets; 90% of adult-ADHD cases lacked a history of childhood ADHD. Also unexpectedly, the adult-ADHD group did not show tested neuropsychological deficits in childhood or adulthood, nor did they show polygenic risk for childhood ADHD. Conclusion Findings raise the possibility that adults presenting with the ADHD symptom picture may not have a childhood-onset neurodevelopmental disorder. If this finding is replicated, then the disorder's place in the classification system must be reconsidered, and research must investigate the etiology of adult ADHD. PMID:25998281

Reappraisal of abnormal EEG findings in children with ADHD: on the relationship between ADHD and epileptiform discharges.

PubMed

Kanazawa, Osamu

2014-12-01

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is suggested to be closely related to epilepsy. A recent large-scale study revealed that ADHD in children is often accompanied by epilepsy. In Japan, methylphenidate (MPH) as a sustained-action tablet and atomoxetine (ATX) became commercially available as medications for children recently. Since then, the number of prescriptions of both medicines has increased rapidly. Methylphenidate, as a psychostimulant, has been a source of concern because of the perceived lowered threshold for convulsions in children. Based on this background, reappraisal of EEG findings in children with ADHD is important in order to detect indications of potential comorbid epilepsy and to investigate the developmental mechanisms of the neurophysiological manifestations in patients with ADHD. EEG findings in children newly diagnosed with ADHD and their relationship with clinical findings were investigated. The author evaluated 208 patients with ADHD newly diagnosed between 2008 and 2013. Of these, there were 145 patients for whom EEG findings were obtained along with a clinical follow-up for at least three months. Patients with IQ<70 were excluded in order to obtain a homogenous group of patients with ADHD. The male-to-female ratio was 130:15, and the age range was between 5 years, 9 months and 19 years, 9 months, with mean age of 11 years, 4 months. The results revealed that about half (48.3%) of the children with ADHD had abnormal EEG findings and that 22.1% of them had epileptiform discharges. Patients without comorbidity of autism spectrum disorder (ore homogenous group with ADHD) were especially likely to show abnormal EEG findings (51.0%) including epileptiform discharges (24.5%). Afebrile seizures, that is, epileptic seizures, occurred in a boy three days after commencement of administration with MPH as a sustained-action tablet. In four patients with a past history of epilepsy, neither relapse of EEG abnormality nor epileptic seizures were

Effects of MPH-OROS on the organizational, time management, and planning behaviors of children with ADHD.

PubMed

Abikoff, Howard; Nissley-Tsiopinis, Jenelle; Gallagher, Richard; Zambenedetti, Maurizio; Seyffert, Michael; Boorady, Roy; McCarthy, John

2009-02-01

To evaluate the effects of stimulant medication on organizational, time management, and planning (OTMP) in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and ascertain whether OTMP is normalized with medication. Participants included 19 stimulant-naïve children with ADHD (aged 8-13 years) and impaired OTMP functioning, defined as greater than 1 SD below norms on the Children's Organizational Skills Scale. A double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design, with 4 weeks of each condition, evaluated medication (methylphenidate-osmotic-release oral system [MPH-OROS]) effects on OTMP, based on the parent and teacher versions of the Children's Organizational Skills Scale. The parent and teacher Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham, Version IV, rating scales assessed ADHD symptoms. "Not impaired" in OTMP was defined as no longer meeting study entry criteria, and "not impaired" in ADHD symptoms was defined as having mean Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham, Version IV, scores of < or = 1.0. MPH-OROS significantly improved children's OTMP behaviors. These improvements were correlated with significant reductions in ADHD symptoms. However, most of the children (61%) continued to show significant OTMP impairments on MPH-OROS. The MPH-OROS reduced children's OTMP deficits, and these improvements were associated with improvements in ADHD symptoms. Some children remained impaired in OTMP even after effective stimulant treatment of ADHD symptoms. These youngsters may require other treatments that target OTMP deficits.

Symbolic dynamics of heart rate variability - a promising tool to investigate cardiac sympathovagal control in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)?

PubMed

Tonhajzerova, Ingrid; Farsky, Ivan; Mestanik, Michal; Visnovcova, Zuzana; Mestanikova, Andrea; Hrtanek, Igor; Ondrejka, Igor

2016-06-01

We aimed to evaluate complex cardiac sympathovagal control in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by using heart rate variability (HRV) nonlinear analysis - symbolic dynamics. We examined 29 boys with untreated ADHD and 25 healthy boys (age 8-13 years). ADHD symptoms were evaluated by ADHD-RS-IV scale. ECG was recorded in 3 positions: baseline supine position, orthostasis, and clinostasis. Symbolic dynamics indices were used for the assessment of complex cardiac sympathovagal regulation: normalised complexity index (NCI), normalised unpredictability index (NUPI), and pattern classification measures (0V%, 1V%, 2LV%, 2UV%). The results showed that HRV complexity was significantly reduced at rest (NUPI) and during standing position (NCI, NUPI) in ADHD group compared to controls. Cardiac-linked sympathetic index 0V% was significantly higher during all posture positions and cardiovagal index 2LV% was significantly lower to standing in boys suffering from ADHD. Importantly, ADHD symptom inattention positively correlated with 0V%, and negatively correlated with NCI, NUPI. Concluding, symbolic dynamics revealed impaired complex neurocardiac control characterised by potential cardiac beta-adrenergic overactivity and vagal deficiency at rest and to posture changes in boys suffering from ADHD that is correlated with inattention. We suggest that symbolic dynamics indices could represent promising cardiac biomarkers in ADHD.

ADHD: Tips to Try

MedlinePlus

... Staying Safe Videos for Educators Search English Español ADHD: Tips to Try KidsHealth / For Teens / ADHD: Tips to Try Print en español TDAH: Consejos que puedes probar ADHD , short for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder , is a ...

Towards operationalising internal distractibility (Mind Wandering) in adults with ADHD.

PubMed

Biederman, Joseph; Fitzgerald, Maura; Uchida, Mai; Spencer, Thomas J; Fried, Ronna; Wicks, Jennifer; Saunders, Alexandra; Faraone, Stephen V

2017-12-01

To investigate whether specific symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can help identify ADHD patients with mind wandering. Subjects were adults ages 18-55 of both sexes (n=41) who completed the Mind-Wandering Questionnaire (MWQ) and the ADHD module of the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children Epidemiologic Version. We used Spearman's rank correlation and Pearson's χ2 analyses to examine associations between the ADHD module and the MWQ and receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analyses to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of the ADHD module. Out of the three ADHD domains, the inattentive ADHD scores had the strongest association with the MWQ (total: r s=0.34, df=39, p=0.03; inattentive: r s=0.38, df=39, p=0.02; Hyperactive: r s=0.17, df=39, p=0.28). Correlation analyses between individual items on the ADHD module and the MWQ showed that two inattention items ('failure to pay attention to detail' and 'trouble following instructions') were positively associated with total scores on the MWQ (p=0.02). These two inattention items had the strongest association with the MWQ (r s=0.45, df=38, p=0.004). ROC analyses showed that the combined score of the two significant inattention items had the highest efficiency (AUC=0.71) in classifying high-level mind wanderers as defined by scores greater than the median split on the MWQ. The combined score of the two inattention items best identified high-level mind wanderers. Results suggest a way to operationalise mind wandering using the symptoms of ADHD.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Interaction between socioeconomic status and parental history of ADHD determines prevalence.

PubMed

Rowland, Andrew S; Skipper, Betty J; Rabiner, David L; Qeadan, Fares; Campbell, Richard A; Naftel, A Jack; Umbach, David M

2018-03-01

Many studies have reported a higher prevalence of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) among disadvantaged populations, but few have considered how parental history of ADHD might modify that relationship. We evaluated whether the prevalence of ADHD varies by socioeconomic status (SES) and parental history of ADHD in a population-sample of elementary school children age 6-14 years. We screened all children in grades 1-5 in 17 schools in one North Carolina (U.S.) county for ADHD using teacher rating scales and 1,160 parent interviews, including an ADHD structured interview (DISC). We combined parent and teacher ratings to determine DSM-IV ADHD status. Data analysis was restricted to 967 children with information about parental history of ADHD. SES was measured by family income and respondent education. We found an interaction between family income and parental history of ADHD diagnosis (p = .016). The SES gradient was stronger in families without a parental history and weaker among children with a parental history. Among children without a parental history of ADHD diagnosis, low income children had 6.2 times the odds of ADHD (95% CI 3.4-11.3) as high income children after adjusting for covariates. Among children with a parental history, all had over 10 times the odds of ADHD as high income children without a parental history but the SES gradient between high and low income children was less pronounced [odds ratio (OR) = 1.4, 95% CI 0.6-3.5]. Socioeconomic status and parental history of ADHD are each strong risk factors for ADHD that interact to determine prevalence. More research is needed to dissect the components of SES that contribute to risk of ADHD. Future ADHD research should evaluate whether the strength of other environmental risk factors vary by parental history. Early identification and interventions for children with low SES or parental histories of ADHD should be explored. © 2017 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

ADHD in acute care psychiatric inpatients.

PubMed

Lines, Katherine L; Sadek, Joseph

2018-06-01

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurocognitive disorder characterized by symptoms of inattention, impulsivity and motor hyperactivity. The worldwide prevalence of ADHD, in the general adult population, has been estimated to be 2.8%. Patients with ADHD have a high incidence of comorbidity with other psychiatric disorders. Those with a psychiatric disorder as well as ADHD have more psychosocial difficulties than those without ADHD. Despite knowing that ADHD is often comorbid with other psychiatric diagnoses, there are currently no studies elucidating the prevalence of ADHD in the inpatient psychiatric population, nor is there significant information about its impact. The lack of research into this topic suggests more needs to be done in the field of adult ADHD, especially in the inpatient psychiatric population and with respect to impairment in patient function. Knowing the prevalence of ADHD and its impact on quality of life in adult inpatients will help lay the groundwork for effective screening and management. The purpose of this study was to understand the prevalence rates of ADHD among psychiatric acute care inpatients. Other objectives included comparing the quality of life and functioning between patients with a primary psychiatric diagnosis and ADHD (treated or untreated) versus those with a primary psychiatric diagnosis and no ADHD. Thirty-three (N = 31) psychiatric inpatients were screened using the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale. Those that screened positive for ADHD received a full diagnostic assessment for ADHD. All patients completed the Weiss Functional Impairment Rating Scale (WFIRS) to assess level of functioning and a Clinical Global Impression of Severity/Improvement Scale (on admission and discharge). Demographic information was also obtained. Of the 31 patients analyzed, 12 had a diagnosis of ADHD (36.4%). The participants diagnosed with ADHD scored significantly higher on the WFIRS, suggesting decreased functioning compared

Cognitive Load Differentially Impacts Response Control in Girls and Boys with ADHD

PubMed Central

Mostofsky, Stewart H.; Rosch, Keri S.

2015-01-01

Children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) consistently show impaired response control, including deficits in response inhibition and increased intrasubject variability (ISV) compared to typically-developing (TD) children. However, significantly less research has examined factors that may influence response control in individuals with ADHD, such as task or participant characteristics. The current study extends the literature by examining the impact of increasing cognitive demands on response control in a large sample of 81children with ADHD (40 girls) and 100 TD children (47 girls), ages 8–12 years. Participants completed a simple Go/No-Go (GNG) task with minimal cognitive demands, and a complex GNG task with increased cognitive load. Results showed that increasing cognitive load differentially impacted response control (commission error rate and tau, an ex-Gaussian measure of ISV) for girls, but not boys, with ADHD compared to same-sex TD children. Specifically, a sexually dimorphic pattern emerged such that boys with ADHD demonstrated higher commission error rate and tau on both the simple and complex GNG tasks as compared to TD boys, whereas girls with ADHD did not differ from TD girls on the simple GNG task, but showed higher commission error rate and tau on the complex GNG task. These findings suggest that task complexity influences response control in children with ADHD in a sexually dimorphic manner. The findings have substantive implications for the pathophysiology of ADHD in boys versus girls with ADHD. PMID:25624066

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Epilepsy and Primary ADHD: Differences in Symptom Dimensions and Quality of Life.

PubMed

Ekinci, Ozalp; Okuyaz, Çetin; Erdoğan, Semra; Gunes, Serkan; Ekinci, Nuran; Kalınlı, Merve; Teke, Halenur; Direk, Meltem Çobanoğulları

2017-12-01

We aimed to (1) compare quality of life (QOL) among children with epilepsy, epilepsy and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and primary ADHD and (2) compare ADHD symptom dimensions and subtypes between children with epilepsy-ADHD and primary ADHD. A total of 140 children; 53 with epilepsy, 35 with epilepsy-ADHD, and 52 with primary ADHD were included. KINDL-R (quality of life measure), Turgay DSM-IV Disruptive Behavior Disorders Rating Scale (T-DSM-IV-S), and Conners' Parent Rating Scale (CPRS) were completed. Neurology clinic charts were reviewed for epilepsy-related variables. Children with epilepsy-ADHD had the lowest (poorest) KINDL-R total scores. Epilepsy-ADHD group had more inattentiveness symptoms, whereas primary ADHD group had more hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms. The frequencies of ADHD combined and inattentiveness subtypes were 60% and 40% in children with epilepsy-ADHD and 80.7% and 19.3% in children with primary ADHD, respectively ( P = .034). ADHD in epilepsy is associated with a significantly poor quality of life and predominantly inattentiveness symptoms.

[The course of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) over the life span].

PubMed

Koumoula, A

2012-06-01

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder, associated with the maturation of the nervous system and appearing on a standard proceeding with special cognitive impairments. For many years ADHD was concerned as a typical childhood disorder. Long-term studies though, showed that an important percentage of children with ADHD grew as adults with ADHD. The clinical picture varies with the developmental stage. In pre-school years (3-5 years) the clinical picture is characterized by excessive physical activity, difficulty in cooperation with peers and non-compliance to the recommendations of adults. In school age (6-12 years), apart from the nuclear symptoms of the disorder, as described in the classification systems, i.e. inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity, oppositional behavior often occurs, conflicts with peers and academic problems. In adolescence hyperactivity lessens, conflicts with parents continue and high risk behaviors often appear. In adults physical activity usually decreases significantly, while inattention and impulsivity still remain. With the passing of time the number of symptoms are usually reduced, however the impact and impairment caused by the disorder remain. The diagnosis of ADHD in adults requires a retrospective diagnosis of ADHD in childhood. Since childhood, comorbid disorders are common, most times continuing until adult life. The Oppositional Defiant Disorder during childhood is related to the presenting of Antisocial Personality Disorder in adults. On the other hand, emotional disorders, which are also rather common in children, adolescents and adults with ADHD, can be due to either common biological mechanisms or the long-standing effect of psychosocial and environmental factors which follow people with ADHD. The relationship between ADHD and substance abuse has been a subject of research, with the view of the existence of Conduct Disorder being necessary for a person to present a Substance Use Disorder

Personality profiles in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

PubMed

Perroud, Nader; Hasler, Roland; Golay, Nicolas; Zimmermann, Julien; Prada, Paco; Nicastro, Rosetta; Aubry, Jean-Michel; Ardu, Stefano; Herrmann, François R; Giannakopoulos, Panteleimon; Baud, Patrick

2016-06-14

Previous studies suggested that the presence of ADHD in children and young adolescents may affect the development of personality. Whether or not the persistence of ADHD in adult life is associated with distinct personality patterns is still matter for debate. To address this issue, we compared the profiles of the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) that assesses personality dimensions in 119 adults ADHD and 403 controls. ANCOVA were used to examine group differences (controls vs. ADHD and ADHD inattentive type vs. ADHD combined + hyperactive/impulsive types) in Temperaments and Characters. Partial correlation coefficients were used to assess correlation between TCI and expression and severity of symptoms of ADHD. High novelty seeking (NS), harm avoidance (HA) and self-transcendence (ST) scores as well as low self-directedness (SD) and cooperativeness (C) scores were associated with ADHD diagnosis. Low SD was the strongest personality trait associated with adult ADHD. Cases with the ADHD inattentive type showed higher HA and lower SD scores compared to the combined and hyperactive/impulsive types. High HA scores correlated with inattention symptoms whereas high NS and ST scores were related to hyperactive symptoms. Finally low SD and high NS were associated with increased ADHD severity. Distinct temperaments were associated with inattentive versus hyperactive/impulsive symptoms supporting the heterogeneous nature of the disorder.

Age-dependent and -independent changes in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) during spatial working memory performance.

PubMed

Bollmann, Steffen; Ghisleni, Carmen; Poil, Simon-Shlomo; Martin, Ernst; Ball, Juliane; Eich-Höchli, Dominique; Klaver, Peter; O'Gorman, Ruth L; Michels, Lars; Brandeis, Daniel

2017-06-01

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been associated with spatial working memory as well as frontostriatal core deficits. However, it is still unclear how the link between these frontostriatal deficits and working memory function in ADHD differs in children and adults. This study examined spatial working memory in adults and children with ADHD, focussing on identifying regions demonstrating age-invariant or age-dependent abnormalities. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine a group of 26 children and 35 adults to study load manipulated spatial working memory in patients and controls. In comparison to healthy controls, patients demonstrated reduced positive parietal and frontostriatal load effects, i.e., less increase in brain activity from low to high load, despite similar task performance. In addition, younger patients showed negative load effects, i.e., a decrease in brain activity from low to high load, in medial prefrontal regions. Load effect differences between ADHD and controls that differed between age groups were found predominantly in prefrontal regions. Age-invariant load effect differences occurred predominantly in frontostriatal regions. The age-dependent deviations support the role of prefrontal maturation and compensation in ADHD, while the age-invariant alterations observed in frontostriatal regions provide further evidence that these regions reflect a core pathophysiology in ADHD.

Improvement with Duloxetine in an Adult ADHD Patient

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tourjman, Smadar Valerie; Bilodeau, Mathieu

2009-01-01

Introduction: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common and disabling disorder among adults and is treated with stimulant and non stimulant medication. Objective: To report the case of a patient with ADHD showing good clinical response to duloxetine, a selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SSNRI). Case…

Might the temperament be a bias in clinical study on attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)?: Novelty Seeking dimension as a core feature of ADHD.

PubMed

Donfrancesco, Renato; Di Trani, Michela; Porfirio, Maria Cristina; Giana, Grazia; Miano, Silvia; Andriola, Elda

2015-06-30

Some clinical studies on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been found to overlap those of studies on personality, particularly those on the Novelty Seeking trait (NS) as measured by the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory (JTCI). The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential role of NS in clinical research on ADHD. We enroled 146 ADHD children (125 boys; mean age=9.61, S.D.=2.50) and 223 age- and gender-matched control children (178 boys; mean age=9.41, S.D.=2.30). All the parents filled in the JTCI for the evaluation of personality according to Cloninger׳s model. An exploratory factor analysis differentiated the NS items that concern "Impulsivity" (NS1) from those that concern other features (NS2). Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVAs) revealed significant differences between ADHD children and non-ADHD children in temperamental dimensions: the scores of ADHD children were higher than those of non-ADHD children in Total NS, NS1-Impulsivity and NS2. Our results show that the NS dimension of the JTCI in ADHD children is higher than in non-ADHD children, even when a correction is made for impulsivity items. This finding suggests that the NS trait plays a central role in ADHD diagnosis even when items referred to impulsivity are removed from the NS scale. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Can we prevent smoking in children with ADHD: a review of the literature.

PubMed

Modesto-Lowe, Vania; Danforth, Jeffrey S; Neering, Carla; Easton, Caroline

2010-04-01

Cigarette smokers pose public health challenges and are over-represented among individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This article reviews the link between ADHD and smoking across various developmental stages with an emphasis on factors that interact with ADHD (e.g., comorbidity with conduct disorder) to modify risk for nicotine dependence from childhood through adulthood. A literature review was conducted for 2000-2009 using key words ADHD, smoking, adolescents, adulthood. Childhood, adolescent and adult ADHD all increase risk for smoking. Childhood ADHD increases risk for early smoking during adolescence, particularly if untreated and in combination with conduct disorder (CD). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adolescence increases the risk of daily smoking in adulthood. These findings underscore the importance of smoking prevention for children and adolescents with ADHD and other risk factors (e.g., CD). Pharmacotherapy for ADHD offers promise to lower the risk of smoking during adolescence. Preventing the development of conduct disorder (CD) or controlling the symptoms of CD is also possible and may reduce smoking and associated outcomes.

Development of graphomotor fluency in adults with ADHD: Evidence of attenuated procedural learning.

PubMed

Duda, Thomas A; Casey, Joseph E; McNevin, Nancy

2015-12-01

The present study sought to determine if adults with ADHD demonstrate reduced graphomotor learning relative to controls. Twenty-eight control adults (n=14) and adults with ADHD (n=14) were recruited and wrote a novel grapheme on a digitizing tablet 30 times. Participants with ADHD were counterbalanced on and off stimulant medication. Control participants, F(1,13)=13.786, p=.003, ω(2)partial=.460, and participants with ADHD on medication, F(1,13)=10.462, p=.007, ω(2)partial=.387, demonstrated significant improvement in graphomotor fluency with equivalent practice whereas participants with ADHD off medication did not, F(1,12)=0.166, NS. Results indicate that graphomotor program learning in adults with ADHD may occur more slowly than typically developing peers. Findings have implications for providing accommodations to adults with ADHD, potential benefits of stimulant medication, and using digitizing technology as a neuropsychological assessment instrument. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Parent-adolescent conflict in teenagers with ADHD and ODD.

PubMed

Edwards, G; Barkley, R A; Laneri, M; Fletcher, K; Metevia, L

2001-12-01

Eighty-seven male teens (ages 12-18 years) with ADHD/ODD and their parents were compared to 32 male teens and their parents in a community control (CC) group on mother, father, and teen ratings of parent-teen conflict and communication quality, parental self-reports of psychological adjustment, and direct observations of parent-teen problem-solving interactions during a neutral and conflict discussion. Parents and teens in the ADHD/ODD group rated themselves as having significantly more issues involving parent-teen conflict, more anger during these conflict discussions, and more negative communication generally, and used more aggressive conflict tactics with each other than did parents and teens in the CC group. During a neutral discussion, only the ADHD/ODD teens demonstrated more negative behavior. During the conflict discussion, however, the mothers, fathers, and teens in the ADHD/ODD group displayed more negative behavior, and the mothers and teens showed less positive behavior than did participants in the CC group. Differences in conflicts related to sex of parent were evident on only a few measures. Both mother and father self-rated hostility contributed to the level of mother-teen conflict whereas father self-rated hostility and anxiety contributed to father-teen conflict beyond the contribution made by level of teen ODD and ADHD symptoms. Results replicated past studies of mother-child interactions in ADHD/ODD children, extended these results to teens with these disorders, showed that greater conflict also occurs in father-teen interactions, and found that degree of parental hostility, but not ADHD symptoms, further contributed to levels of parent-teen conflict beyond the contribution made by severity of teen ADHD and ODD symptoms.

Effects of behavioral and pharmacological therapies on peer reinforcement of deviancy in children with ADHD-only, ADHD and conduct problems, and controls.

PubMed

Helseth, Sarah A; Waschbusch, Daniel A; Gnagy, Elizabeth M; Onyango, Adia N; Burrows-MacLean, Lisa; Fabiano, Gregory A; Coles, Erika K; Chacko, Anil; Wymbs, Brian T; Walker, Kathryn S; Wymbs, Frances A; Garefino, Allison; Massetti, Greta M; Robb Mazzant, Jessica; Hoffman, Martin T; Waxmonsky, James G; Nichols-Lopez, Kristin; Pelham, William E

2015-04-01

This study compared the unique and combined effects of evidence-based treatments for ADHD-stimulant medication and behavior modification-on children's rates of reinforcement for deviant peer behavior (RDPB). Using a within-subjects design, 222 elementary school-age children attending a summer treatment program, including 151 children with ADHD (127 male), with and without comorbid conduct problems, and 71 control children (57 male), received varying combinations of behavior modification (no, low-intensity, and high-intensity) and methylphenidate (placebo, 0.15 mg/kg, 0.30 mg/kg, and 0.60 mg/kg). RDPB was measured through direct observation and compared across all behavior modification and medication conditions. Children with ADHD reinforced the deviant behavior of their peers at a significantly higher rate than control children in the absence of either intervention. However, that difference largely disappeared in the presence of both behavior modification and medication. Both low and high-intensity behavior modification, as well as medium (0.30 mg/kg) and high (0.60 mg/kg) doses of methylphenidate, significantly reduced the rate of ADHD children's RDPB to levels similar to the control group. Results indicate that although untreated children with ADHD do engage in RDPB at a greater rate than their non-ADHD peers, existing evidence-based interventions can substantially decrease the presence of RDPB, thereby limiting potential iatrogenic effects in group-based treatment settings. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Unique white matter microstructural patterns in ADHD presentations-a diffusion tensor imaging study.

PubMed

Svatkova, Alena; Nestrasil, Igor; Rudser, Kyle; Goldenring Fine, Jodene; Bledsoe, Jesse; Semrud-Clikeman, Margaret

2016-09-01

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder predominantly inattentive (ADHD-PI) and combined (ADHD-C) presentations are likely distinct disorders that differ neuroanatomically, neurochemically, and neuropsychologically. However, to date, little is known about specific white matter (WM) regions differentiating ADHD presentations. This study examined differences in WM microstructure using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data from 20 ADHD-PI, 18 ADHD-C, and 27 typically developed children. Voxel-wise analysis of DTI measurements in major fiber bundles was carried out using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS). Clusters showing diffusivity abnormalities were used as regions of interest for regression analysis between fractional anisotropy (FA) and neuropsychological outcomes. Compared to neurotypicals, ADHD-PI children showed higher FA in the anterior thalamic radiations (ATR), bilateral inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF), and in the left corticospinal tract (CST). In contrast, the ADHD-C group exhibited higher FA in the bilateral cingulum bundle (CB). In the ADHD-PI group, differences in FA in the left ILF and ATR were accompanied by axial diffusivity (AD) abnormalities. In addition, the ADHD-PI group exhibited atypical mean diffusivity in the forceps minor (FMi) and left ATR and AD differences in right CB compared to healthy subjects. Direct comparison between ADHD presentations demonstrated radial diffusivity differences in FMi. WM clusters with FA irregularities in ADHD were associated with neurobehavioral performance across groups. In conclusion, differences in WM microstructure in ADHD presentations strengthen the theory that ADHD-PI and ADHD-C are two distinct disorders. Regions with WM irregularity seen in both ADHD presentations might serve as predictors of executive and behavioral functioning across groups. Hum Brain Mapp 37:3323-3336, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

High IQ May "Mask" the Diagnosis of ADHD by Compensating for Deficits in Executive Functions in Treatment-Naïve Adults With ADHD.

PubMed

Milioni, Ana Luiza Vidal; Chaim, Tiffany Moukbel; Cavallet, Mikael; de Oliveira, Nathalya Moleda; Annes, Marco; Dos Santos, Bernardo; Louzã, Mario; da Silva, Maria Aparecida; Miguel, Carmen Silvia; Serpa, Mauricio Henriques; Zanetti, Marcus V; Busatto, Geraldo; Cunha, Paulo Jannuzzi

2017-04-01

To evaluate and compare the performance of adults with ADHD with high and standard IQ in executive functions (EF) tasks. We investigated the neuropsychological performance of 51 adults with ADHD, compared with 33 healthy controls (HC) while performing a wide battery of neuropsychological tests that measure executive functioning. Adults with clinical diagnosis of ADHD were divided into two groups according to their IQ level (IQ ≥ 110-ADHD group with more elevated IQ, and IQ < 110-ADHD group with standard IQ). The ADHD group with standard IQ presented a worse executive functioning compared with the HC group in the following measures: Stroop 2 ( p = .000) and 3 ( p = .000), Trail Making Test (TMT) B ( p = .005), Wisconsin Card-Sorting Test (WCST)-perseverative errors ( p = .022) and failures to maintain set ( p = .020), Continuous Performance Test (CPT)-omission errors ( p = .005) and commission errors ( p = .000), and Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB)-conceptualization ( p = .016). The ADHD group with more elevated IQ presented only impairments in the CPT-commission errors ( p = .019) when compared with the control group. Adults with ADHD and more elevated IQ show less evidence of executive functioning deficits compared with those with ADHD and standard IQ, suggesting that a higher degree of intellectual efficiency may compensate deficits in executive functions, leading to problems in establishing a precise clinical diagnosis.

A pilot study of combined working memory and inhibition training for children with AD/HD.

PubMed

Johnstone, Stuart J; Roodenrys, Steven; Phillips, Elise; Watt, Annele J; Mantz, Sharlene

2010-03-01

Building on recent favourable outcomes using working memory (WM) training, this study examined the behavioural and physiological effect of concurrent computer-based WM and inhibition training for children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD). Using a double-blind active-control design, 29 children with AD/HD completed a 5-week at-home training programme and pre- and post-training sessions which included the assessment of overt behaviour, resting EEG, as well as task performance, skin conductance level and event-related potentials (ERPs) during a Go/Nogo task. Results indicated that after training, children from the high-intensity training condition showed reduced frequency of inattention and hyperactivity symptoms. Although there were trends for improved Go/Nogo performance, increased arousal and specific training effects for the inhibition-related N2 ERP component, they failed to reach standard levels of statistical significance. Both the low- and high-intensity conditions showed resting EEG changes (increased delta, reduced alpha and theta activity) and improved early attention alerting to Go and Nogo stimuli, as indicated by the N1 ERP component, post-training. Despite limitations, this preliminary work indicates the potential for cognitive training that concurrently targets the interrelated processes of WM and inhibition to be used as a treatment for AD/HD.

The Correlation Between Cognitive and Movement Shifting and Brain Activity in Children With ADHD.

PubMed

Kang, Kyoung Doo; Han, Doug Hyun; Kim, Sun Mi; Bae, Sujin; Renshaw, Perry F

2018-05-01

We assessed the correlation between the deficits of cognition, movement, and brain activity in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactvity Disorder (ADHD). We recruited 15 children with ADHD and 15 age- and sex-matched healthy control participants. Clinical symptoms, cognitive shifting, movement shifting, and brain activity were assessed using the Korean ADHD Rating Scale, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), the 7- and 14-ring drill test with hop jumps (7 HJ and 14 HJ), and 3.0 Tesla functional magnetic resonance imaging scanner, respectively. ADHD children showed an increased distance traveled and decreased speed on the 14 HJ task. In response to the WCST task, ADHD children showed decreased activation within right gyrus. Total distance on the 14 HJ task was negatively correlated with the mean β value of Cluster 2 in ADHD children. These results suggested that children with ADHD showed difficulty with attention shifting as well as with movement shifting.

Development of Hot and Cold Executive Function in Boys and Girls With ADHD.

PubMed

Skogli, Erik Winther; Andersen, Per Normann; Hovik, Kjell Tore; Øie, Merete

2017-02-01

To investigate the development of executive function with pronounced emotional salience (hot EF) and less pronounced emotional salience (cold EF) in boys and girls with ADHD relative to typically developing (TD) children. Seventy-five children with ADHD and 47 TD children were assessed with hot and cold EF tests at baseline and after 2 years. Despite considerable maturation, the ADHD group remained impaired on all cold EF tests relative to TD children after 2 years. There was no effect of gender on cold EF test results. Females with ADHD outperformed TD counterparts on hot EF at baseline. Females with ADHD showed deteriorating hot EF performance, while TD counterparts showed improved hot EF performance across time. Enduring cold EF impairments after 2 years may reflect stable phenotypic traits in children with ADHD. Results indicate divergent developmental trajectories of hot EF in girls with ADHD relative to TD counterparts.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Obesity: Update 2016.

PubMed

Cortese, Samuele; Tessari, Luca

2017-01-01

While psychiatric comorbidities of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been extensively explored, less attention has been paid to somatic conditions possibly associated with this disorder. However, mounting evidence in the last decade pointed to a possible significant association between ADHD and certain somatic conditions, including obesity. This papers provides an update of a previous systematic review on the relationship between obesity and ADHD (Cortese and Vincenzi, Curr Top Behav Neurosci 9:199-218, 2012), focusing on pertinent peer-reviewed empirical papers published since 2012. We conducted a systematic search in PubMed, Ovid, and Web of Knowledge databases (search dates: from January 1st, 2012, to July 16th, 2016). We retained a total of 41 studies, providing information on the prevalence of obesity in individuals with ADHD, focusing on the rates of ADHD in individuals with obesity, or reporting data useful to gain insight into possible mechanisms underlying the putative association between ADHD and obesity. Overall, over the past 4 years, an increasing number of studies have assessed the prevalence of obesity in individuals with ADHD or the rates of ADHD in patients with obesity. Although findings are mixed across individual studies, meta-analytic evidence shows a significant association between ADHD and obesity, regardless of possible confounding factors such as psychiatric comorbidities. An increasing number of studies have also addressed possible mechanisms underlying the link between ADHD and obesity, highlighting the role, among others, of abnormal eating patterns, sedentary lifestyle, and possible common genetic alterations. Importantly, recent longitudinal studies support a causal role of ADHD in contributing to weight gain. The next generation of studies in the field should explore if and to which extent the treatment of comorbid ADHD in individuals with obesity may lead to long-term weight loss, ultimately improving their

The Association Between ADHD and Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD): A Review.

PubMed

Storebø, Ole Jakob; Simonsen, Erik

2016-10-01

Children with ADHD have an increased risk of later developing personality disorders and criminal behavior. The object of the present review is to analyze the associations between ADHD and antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). A review of literature was done using EMBASE, PsycINFO, and Medline databases. Eighteen prospective studies (n = 5,501) showed that ADHD with and without comorbid conduct disorder (CD) is a strong predictor for the risk of later development of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). Some of the 13 cross-sectional/retrospective studies (n = 2,451) suggested that ADHD and CD might be a separate subtype of ADHD, that especially impulsivity in ADHD is a predictor for later development of ASPD, or that callous-unemotional traits in the ADHD children are called for a risk factor for later ASPD. There is an increased risk for children with ADHD with or without comorbid CD to develop later onset of antisocial personality disorder. © The Author(s) 2013.

Molecular imaging genetics of methylphenidate response in ADHD and substance use comorbidity.

PubMed

Szobot, Claudia M; Roman, Tatiana; Hutz, Mara H; Genro, Júlia P; Shih, Ming Chi; Hoexter, Marcelo Q; Júnior, Neivo; Pechansky, Flávio; Bressan, Rodrigo A; Rohde, Luis A P

2011-02-01

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and substance use disorders (SUDs) are highly comorbid and may share a genetic vulnerability. Methylphenidate (MPH), a dopamine transporter (DAT) blocker, is an effective drug for most ADHD patients. Although dopamine D4 receptor (DRD4) and dopamine transporter (DAT1) genes have a role in both disorders, little is known about how these genes influence brain response to MPH in individuals with ADHD/SUDs. The goal of this study was to evaluate whether ADHD risk alleles at DRD4 and DAT1 genes could predict the change in striatal DAT occupancy after treatment with MPH in adolescents with ADHD/SUDs. Seventeen adolescents with ADHD/SUDs underwent a SPECT scan with [Tc(99m) ]TRODAT-1 at baseline and after three weeks on MPH. Caudate and putamen DAT binding potential was calculated. Comparisons on DAT changes were made according to the subjects' genotype. The combination of both DRD4 7-repeat allele (7R) and homozygosity for the DAT1 10-repeat allele (10/10) was significantly associated with a reduced DAT change after MPH treatment in right and left caudate and putamen, even adjusting the results for potential confounders (P ≤ 0.02; R² from 0.50 to 0.56). In patients with ADHD/SUDs, combined DRD4 7R and DAT1 10/10 could index MPH reduced DAT occupancy. This might be important for clinical trials, in terms of better understanding individual variability in treatment response. Copyright © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Family Functioning and Parental Bonding During Childhood in Adults Diagnosed With ADHD.

PubMed

Montejo, José E; Durán, Mariona; Del Mar Martínez, María; Hilari, Ainoa; Roncalli, Nicoletta; Vilaregut, Anna; Corrales, Montserrat; Nogueira, Mariana; Casas, Miguel; Linares, Juan Luis; Ramos-Quiroga, J Antoni

2015-08-24

This work assesses family functioning, parental bonding, and the relationship between the two in adults diagnosed with ADHD. The study used a retrospective, ex post facto design and consisted of 100 adult participants, who were distributed into two groups: with and without diagnosis of ADHD. Two family assessment instruments were applied: the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale short spanish version (FACES-20esp)) and the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI). The diagnosis of ADHD was done by using a semistructured interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; DSM-IV) criteria (Conners' Adult ADHD Diagnostic Interview for DSM-IV [CAADID]). The results showed that higher rigidity and lower emotional connection were significantly associated with ADHD family functioning. Regarding parental bonding, the results showed significant differences only in the care dimension, with the ADHD group reporting lower care than the control group. The results suggest that ADHD families present dysfunctional family functioning with a rigid, separated typology, and parental bonding based on control without affection. © 2015 SAGE Publications.

ADHD symptomatology in eating disorders: a secondary psychopathological measure of severity?

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has commonly been described in psychiatric disorders. Although several studies have found positive associations between abnormal eating patterns during childhood and ADHD, there is a lack of studies on ADHD and Eating Disorders (ED). The aims of this exploratory study were 1) to assess the ADHD symptoms level in ED and to ascertain whether there are differences among ED subtypes; 2) to analyze whether the presence of ADHD symptoms is associated with more severe eating disorder symptoms and greater general psychopathology; and 3) to assess whether the ADHD symptoms level is associated with specific temperament and character traits. Methods 191 female ED patients were included. Assessment was carried out with the EDI-2, ASRS-v1.1, the SCL-90-R and the TCI-R. Results The ADHD symptoms level was similar in bulimia, eating disorder not otherwise specified and binge eating subtypes, and lower in anorexic patients. Obsessiveness and Hostility were significantly positively associated with ADHD symptoms. A path model showed that ADHD was associated with high Novelty Seeking and low Self-Directedness, whereas ED severity was influenced by ADHD severity and low Self-Directedness. Conclusions Bingeing/purging ED subtypes have a high ADHD symptoms level, also related with more severe eating, general and personality psychopathology. PMID:23758944

Effectiveness of Neurofeedback Versus Medication in Treatment of ADHD.

PubMed

Sudnawa, Khemika Khemakanok; Chirdkiatgumchai, Vilawan; Ruangdaraganon, Nichara; Khongkhatithum, Chaiyos; Udomsubpayakul, Umaporn; Jirayucharoensak, Suwicha; Israsena, Pasin

2018-06-22

Neurofeedback (NF) is an operant conditioning procedure that trains participants for self-regulation of brain activity. Previous studies have shown that NF is a promising treatment of ADHD. However, there have been only a few RCT studies comparing effectiveness of NF with medication with various NF protocol and results. The aim of this study was to evaluate theeffectiveness of unipolar electrodeneurofeedback (NF) using theta/beta protocol compared with methylphenidate (MPH) in the treatment of ADHD. Children with newly diagnosed ADHD were randomly organised into NF and MPH groups. Each of children in NF group received 30 sessions of NF. Children in MPH group were prescribed methylphenidate for 12 weeks. Vanderbilt ADHD rating scales were completed by parents and teachers to evaluate ADHD symptoms pre- and post-treatment. Student's t-tests and Cohen's dwere used to compare symptoms between groups and evaluate effect size (ES) of each treatment respectively. Forty children participated in the study. No differences in ADHD baseline symptoms between groups were found. Post-treatment, teachers reported significantly lower ADHD symptoms in the MPH group (p = 0.01), but parents reported no differences betweenthe groups (p = 0.55). MPH demonstrated large ES (Cohen's d 1.30 - 1.69), while NF showed moderate ES (Cohen's d 0.49 - 0.68) for treatment of ADHD symptoms. This study supports NF as a promising alternative treatment for ADHD in children who do not respond or experience significant adverse effects to ADHD medications. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

The effects of childhood ADHD on adult labor market outcomes.

PubMed

Fletcher, Jason M

2014-02-01

Although several types of mental illness, including substance abuse disorders, have been linked with poor labor market outcomes, no current research has been able to examine the effects of childhood attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Because ADHD has become one of the most prevalent childhood mental conditions, it is useful to understand the full set of consequences of the illness. This article uses a longitudinal national sample, including sibling pairs, to show the important labor market outcome consequences of ADHD. The employment reduction is between 10 and 14 percentage points, the earnings reduction is approximately 33%, and the increase in social assistance is 15 points, figures that are larger than many estimates of the Black people/White people earnings gap and the gender earnings gap. A small share of the link is explained by educational attainments and co-morbid health conditions and behaviors. The results also show important differences in labor market consequences by family background and age of onset. These findings, along with similar research showing that ADHD is linked with poor education outcomes and adult crime, suggest the importance of treating childhood ADHD to foster human capital. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Anomalous subcortical morphology in boys, but not girls, with ADHD compared to typically developing controls and correlates with emotion dysregulation

PubMed Central

Crocetti, Deana; Mostofsky, Stewart H.; Miller, Michael I.; Rosch, Keri S.

2017-01-01

There has been limited investigation of volume and shape difference in subcortical structures in children with ADHD and a paucity of examination of the influence of sex on these findings. The objective of this study was to examine morphology (volume and shape) of subcortical structures and their association with emotion dysregulation (ED) in girls and boys with ADHD as compared to their typically-developing (TD) counterparts. Participants included 218 children ages 8-12 years old with and without DSM-IV ADHD. Structural magnetic resonance images were obtained, and shape analyses were conducted using large deformation diffeomorphic metric mapping (LDDMM). Compared to TD boys, boys with ADHD showed reduced volumes in the bilateral globus pallidus and amygdala. There were no volumetric differences in any structure between ADHD and TD girls. Shape analysis revealed localized compressions within the globus pallidus, putamen and amygdala in ADHD boys relative to TD boys, as well as significant correlations between increased ED and unique subregion expansion in right globus pallidus, putamen, and right amygdala. Our findings suggest a sexually dimorphic pattern of differences in subcortical structures in children with ADHD compared to TD children, and a possible neurobiological mechanism by which boys with ADHD demonstrate increased difficulties with ED. PMID:28104573

Disrupted response inhibition toward facial anger cues in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): an event-related potential study.

PubMed

Köchel, Angelika; Leutgeb, Verena; Schienle, Anne

2014-04-01

This event-related potential study focused on neural correlates of inhibitory affective control in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Sixteen boys with ADHD and 16 healthy boys underwent an emotional Go/NoGo task with pictures of facial expressions from the categories anger, sadness, happiness, and neutral. The participants were instructed to execute or withhold a motor response to specific emotions. Patients relative to controls displayed a severe impairment in response inhibition toward anger cues, which was accompanied by a reduced P300 amplitude (positive voltage deflection about 300 ms after picture onset). The control group showed a P300 differentiation of the affective categories that was absent in the ADHD group. The pronounced anger-processing deficit in ADHD patients might be linked to their interpersonal difficulties and should be addressed in psychotherapy.

Affect Recognition in Adults with ADHD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Meghan; Hanford, Russell B.; Fassbender, Catherine; Duke, Marshall; Schweitzer, Julie B.

2011-01-01

Objective: This study compared affect recognition abilities between adults with and without ADHD. Method: The sample consisted of 51 participants (34 men, 17 women) divided into 3 groups: ADHD-combined type (ADHD-C; n = 17), ADHD-predominantly inattentive type (ADHD-I; n = 16), and controls (n = 18). The mean age was 34 years. Affect recognition…

Time perception deficit in children with ADHD.

PubMed

Yang, Binrang; Chan, Raymond C K; Zou, Xiaobing; Jing, Jin; Mai, Jianning; Li, Jing

2007-09-19

Time perception deficit has been demonstrated in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by using time production and time reproduction tasks. The impact of motor demand, however, has not yet been fully examined. The current study, which is reported herein, aimed to investigate the pure time perception of Chinese children with ADHD by using a duration discrimination task. A battery of tests that were specifically designed to measure time perception and other related abilities, such as inhibition, attention, and working memory, was administered to 40 children with ADHD and to 40 demographically matched healthy children. A repeated measure MANOVA indicated that children with ADHD showed significantly higher discrimination thresholds than did healthy controls, and there was an interaction effect between group and duration. Pairwise comparison indicated that children with ADHD were less accurate in discriminating duration at either target duration. Working memory (Corsi blocks task) was related to the discrimination threshold at a duration of 800 ms after controlling for full-scale IQ (FIQ) in the ADHD group, but this did not survive the Bonferroni correction. The results indicated that children with ADHD may have perceptual deficits in time discrimination. They needed a greater difference between the comparison and target intervals to discriminate the short, median, and long durations reliably. This study provides further support for the existence of a generic time perception deficit, which is probably due to the involvement of a dysfunctional fronto-striato-cerebellar network in this capacity, especially the presence of deficits in basic internal timing mechanisms.

Pharmacology and pharmacogenetics of pediatric ADHD with associated aggression: a review.

PubMed

Patel, Bianca D; Barzman, Drew H

2013-12-01

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is often associated with symptoms of aggression in children and adolescents. Clinically, this is complex because aggression can be from hyperactivity and impulsivity, or could be a distinct symptom from a comorbid diagnosis. Past research has recommended first treating the primary disorder of ADHD. Stimulants are the most common treatment for pediatric ADHD, which can be helpful in decreasing aggressive behaviors. Alpha-adrenergic agonists and atomoxetine (ATX) are non-stimulant medications for ADHD and aggression, but more research is necessary to compare these drugs to stimulants. If aggressive symptoms do not improve from treating the primary disorder, aggression can be treated separately. Risperidone, lithium, valproic acid, clonidine, and guanfacine have shown positive results in reducing aggression, but studies including children with aggression and ADHD are limited. The variability in treatment tolerability in patients has stimulated research in pharmacogenetics for ADHD. Although this field is still emerging, research has found evidence supporting a link between the response rate of methylphenidate and the dopamine transporter (DAT1) and a link between the metabolism rate of atomoxetine and hepatic cytochrome 450 isozymes. Pharmacogenetics may be relevant to ADHD and associated aggression. Further research in pharmacogenetics will strive to identify patterns of genetic variations that can tailor individual treatments.

Scope of Semantic Activation and Innovative Thinking in College Students with ADHD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Holly A.; Shah, Priti

2016-01-01

Adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show high divergent thinking on standardized laboratory measures. This study assessed innovative thinking in adults with ADHD using a realistic task and investigated a possible cognitive mechanism for ADHD-related advantages in innovative thinking. College students with and without ADHD…

Women and Girls (With ADHD)

MedlinePlus

... ADHD Hospital and University ADHD Centers Insurance and Public Benefits The Insurance System Paying for Medications Private Health Insurance Public Health Insurance Disability Benefits Frequently Asked Questions about ADHD Myths and Misunderstandings ...

What Is ADHD?

MedlinePlus

... español TDAH What Is ADHD? ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It is a medical condition. ... in brain development and brain activity that affect attention, the ability to sit still, and self-control. ...

Psychometric analysis of the new ADHD DSM-V derived symptoms.

PubMed

Ghanizadeh, Ahmad

2012-03-20

Following the agreements on the reformulating and revising of ADHD diagnostic criteria, recently, the proposed revision for ADHD added 4 new symptoms to the hyperactivity and Impulsivity aspect in DSM-V. This study investigates the psychometric properties of the proposed ADHD diagnostic criteria. ADHD diagnosis was made according to DSM-IV. The parents completed the screening test of ADHD checklist of Child Symptom Inventory-4 and the 4 items describing the new proposed symptoms in DSM-V. The confirmatory factor analysis of the ADHD DSM-V derived items supports the loading of two factors including inattentiveness and hyperactivity/impulsivity. There is a sufficient reliability for the items. However, confirmatory factor analysis showed that the three-factor model is better fitted than the two-factor one. Moreover, the results of the exploratory analysis raised some concerns about the factor loading of the four new items. The current results support the two-factor model of the DSM-V ADHD diagnostic criteria including inattentiveness and hyperactivity/impulsivity. However, the four new items can be considered as a third factor.

Perceptions of academic skills of children diagnosed with ADHD.

PubMed

Eisenberg, Daniel; Schneider, Helen

2007-05-01

This study investigates how the academic skills of children diagnosed with ADHD are perceived by teachers, parents, and the children themselves. The authors analyze data collected for third graders in spring 2002 in the nationally representative Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey. They use linear regressions to estimate independent associations between perceptions of academic abilities and parent-reported ADHD diagnoses, controlling for scores on standardized reading and math tests, assessments of externalizing behaviors, and other factors. Results show that for ADHD-diagnosed girls compared to other girls, both parents' and teachers' perceptions are substantially more negative. For ADHD-diagnosed boys, the differentials are also negative but less pronounced. Self-perceptions are not significantly different by ADHD status, except for boys' more negative self-perceptions related to math. Given the potentially damaging effects of these negative perceptions and expectations on self-esteem, motivation, and performance, efforts may be needed to bring perceptions of ADHD children more in line with the abilities they demonstrate on objective assessments. (J. of Att. Dis. 2007; 10(4) 390-397).

Maternal ADHD symptoms, personality, and parenting stress: Differences between mothers of children with ADHD and mothers of comparison children

PubMed Central

Algorta, Guillermo Perez; Kragh, Carolyn A.; Arnold, L. Eugene; Molina, Brooke S. G.; Hinshaw, Stephen P.; Swanson, James M.; Hetchman, Lily; Copley, LaRae M.; Lowe, Matthew; Jensen, Peter S.

2017-01-01

Mothers raising a child with ADHD can experience high parenting stress. Mothers’ personality traits and own ADHD symptoms could also affect parenting stress. 430 biological mothers from the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD (MTA mothers) and 237 of a local normative comparison group (LNCG mothers) were evaluated at baseline. Interactions were tested between mothers’ group and maternal personality/ADHD symptoms related to parenting stress. Compared to LNCG, MTA mothers had higher parenting stress, self-reported ADHD, neuroticism, and lower conscientiousness and agreeableness. When personality and ADHD were evaluated together, ADHD symptoms interacted with mothers’ group: high maternal ADHD was positively associated with parenting stress for LNCG but not MTA mothers. Personality traits or ADHD characteristics do not appear operative for the high parenting stress of mothers of a child with ADHD. However, high maternal ADHD or low conscientiousness are associated with stress levels similar to raising a child with ADHD. PMID:25525155

Motor regulation problems and pain in adults diagnosed with ADHD

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Most children who are diagnosed with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have moderate-to-severe motor problems using the Motor Function Neurological Assessment battery (MFNU). The MFNU focuses on specific muscle adjustment problems associated with ADHD, especially motor inhibition problems and high muscle tone. Here we investigated whether adults with ADHD/hyperkinetic disorder (HKD) have similar motor problems. In our clinical experience, adults with ADHD often complain about back, shoulder, hip, and leg pain. We also investigate reported pain in adults with ADHD. Methods Twenty-five adult outpatients diagnosed with ADHD/HKD who were responders to methylphenidate (MPH) were compared to 23 non-ADHD controls on 16 MFNU subtests and using a ‘total score’ (‘TS’) parameter. The MFNU test leader was blinded to group identity. The two groups were also compared using the Pain Drawing and Numerical Pain Rating Scale. Results The adult ADHD group had significantly (p < .001) more motor problems (higher TS) than controls. On the muscle regulation subtests, 36–96% of the ADHD group showed ‘moderate’ to ‘severe’ problems compared to 13–52% of the control group, and 80% of the ADHD group reported widespread pain. Highly significant differences were found between the ADHD and control groups for the variables ‘pain level’ (p < .001) and ‘pain location’ (p < .001). Significant correlations were found between TS and ‘pain location’ and between TS and ‘pain level’. Conclusions These findings suggest that similar to children with ADHD, adults diagnosed with ADHD also have motor inhibition problems and heightened muscle tone. The presence of significantly higher pain levels and more widespread pain in the ADHD group compared to non-ADHD controls might indicate that pain is a long-term secondary effect of heightened muscle tone and restricted movement that can be demonstrated in children and adults by the MFNU

Neuropsychological profiles of adolescents with ADHD: effects of reading difficulties and gender.

PubMed

Rucklidge, Julia J; Tannock, Rosemary

2002-11-01

Executive function, particularly behavioral inhibition, has been implicated as a core deficit specific to Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) whereas rapid naming has been implicated as a core deficit specific to reading disabilities (RD). Females may be less impaired in executive function although adolescent females with ADHD have yet to be studied. Neuropsychological profiles of four adolescent groups aged 13-16 with equal female representation were investigated: 35 ADHD, 12 RD, 24 ADHD+RD, and 37 normal controls. A semi-structured interview (K-SADS-PL), the Conners Rating Scales and the Ontario Child Health Study Scales were used to diagnose ADHD. RD was defined as a standard score below 90 on at least one of the following: Reading or Spelling of the WRAT3 or Word Attack or Word Identification of the WRMT-R. The WISC-III, Rapid Automatized Naming, Stroop and Stop tasks were used as measures of cognitive and executive function. The two ADHD groups (ADHD, ADHD+RD) showed deficits in processing speed, naming of objects, poor behavioral inhibition and greater variability in reaction times whereas the two RD groups (RD, RD+ADHD) showed verbal working memory deficits and slower verbal retrieval speed. Only the comorbid group was slower with naming of numbers and colors and had slower reaction times. Regression analyses indicated that incongruent color naming (Stroop) and variability in go reaction time were the best predictors of hyperactive/impulsive ADHD symptoms whereas variability in go reaction time and processing speed were the best predictors of inattentive ADHD symptoms. Speed of letter naming and verbal working memory accounted for the most variability in composite achievement scores. No gender differences were found on any of the cognitive tests. This study challenges the importance of behavioral inhibition deficits in ADHD and that naming deficits are specific to RD. Further investigation into cognitive deficits in these groups is required.

Childhood and persistent ADHD symptoms associated with educational failure and long-term occupational disability in adult ADHD.

PubMed

Fredriksen, Mats; Dahl, Alv A; Martinsen, Egil W; Klungsoyr, Ole; Faraone, Stephen V; Peleikis, Dawn E

2014-06-01

Few studies have examined the impact of childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms on adult ADHD functional outcomes. To address this issue dimensionally, ADHD symptoms in childhood and adulthood and their relation to educational deficits and work disability are studied in a clinical sample of adult patients with previously untreated ADHD. About 250 adults diagnosed systematically with ADHD according to DSM-IV were prospectively recruited. Primary outcomes were high school dropout and being out of the work last year. Childhood ADHD symptoms, sex differences, comorbidities of other mental disorders, and adult ADHD symptoms were examined by historical data, clinician interviews, and questionnaires. High levels of ADHD symptom severity in childhood were related to dropping out of high school [odds ratio (OR) = 3.0], as were higher numbers of hyperactive-impulsive symptoms in childhood. Significantly, more women than men were long-term work disabled (OR = 2.0). After adjusting for age and gender, persisting high levels of ADHD inattention symptoms in adulthood (OR = 2.5), number of comorbid disorders, and particularly anxiety disorders were significantly related to long-term work disability. Childhood hyperactive-impulsive symptoms and overall severity of childhood ADHD symptoms were associated with high school dropout rates; however, persisting ADHD inattention symptoms and comorbid mental disorders in adulthood were more correlated to occupational impairment. These findings underline proposals for studies on early recognition and interventions for ADHD and psychiatric comorbidity. They further suggest that inattentive symptoms be a focus of adult ADHD treatment and that workplace interventions be considered to prevent long-term work disability.

Mediators and Moderators of the Relation Between Parental ADHD Symptomatology and the Early Development of Child ADHD and ODD Symptoms

PubMed Central

Breaux, Rosanna P.; Brown, Hallie R.; Harvey, Elizabeth A.

2016-01-01

The present study examined mediators and moderators of the relation between parental ADHD symptomatology and the development of child attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) symptoms across the preschool years. Participants included 258 (138 boys) 3-year-old children (M = 44.13 months, SD = 3.39) with and without behavior problems and their parents who took part in a 3-year longitudinal study. Maternal ADHD symptoms predicted later ADHD symptoms in children, controlling for early child symptomatology. Both family history of ADHD and paternal comorbid psychopathology predicted later child ADHD and ODD symptoms, but they did not account for the association between maternal and child ADHD symptoms. Although paternal ADHD symptoms were associated with age 3 child ADHD symptoms, they did not significantly predict later child ADHD symptoms controlling for early symptomatology. Family adversity moderated the relation between maternal ADHD and child ADHD symptoms, such that the relation between maternal and child ADHD symptoms was stronger for families with less adversity. Maternal overreactive parenting mediated the relation between maternal ADHD symptoms and later child ADHD and ODD symptoms. Our findings suggest that targeting paternal comorbid psychopathology and maternal parenting holds promise for attenuating the effects of parental ADHD on children’s ADHD. PMID:27752934

Validity of proposed DSM-5 ADHD impulsivity symptoms in children.

PubMed

Ünsel Bolat, Gül; Ercan, Eyüp Sabri; Salum, Giovanni Abrahão; Bilaç, Öznur; Massuti, Rafael; Uysal Özaslan, Taciser; Bolat, Hilmi; Rohde, Luis Augusto

2016-10-01

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) working group on Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) proposed the inclusion of four new impulsivity symptoms. However, they were not included in DSM-5 due to the lack of sufficient evidence. The aim of this study is to investigate the performance of the proposed four ADHD impulsivity symptoms with respect to: (a) ADHD factor structure; (b) performance in predicting clinical impairment; (c) specificity for ADHD diagnosis and (d) best symptomatic threshold to predict clinical impairment. The sample comprised 416 children (31 ADHD subjects according to both DSM-IV and proposed DSM-5, 20 ADHD subjects according to just one diagnostic system and 365 controls) from 12 schools. Diagnoses were derived using semi-structured interviews and ADHD rating scales. Results from confirmatory factor analysis indicate that addition of the four new impulsivity items provided a slightly better factor structure if compared to models including only 18 items. Regression analyses showed that only one of the new impulsivity symptoms (impatient) was part of the list of best predictors of impairment. None of the four new impulsivity items was specifically associated with ADHD diagnosis. The best cutoff point in the hyperactivity/impulsivity dimension for predicting impairment did not change significantly. Overall, our findings suggest that the determination on how to best capture impulsivity dimension as part of the ADHD construct needs more investigation and that there is not enough evidence to include these four assessed impulsivity symptoms as part of the ADHD criteria.

Brief Report: Adaptive Functioning in Children with ASD, ADHD and ASD + ADHD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ashwood, Karen L.; Tye, Charlotte; Azadi, Bahare; Cartwright, Sally; Asherson, Philip; Bolton, Patrick

2015-01-01

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often co-occur. Children with ASD and ADHD demonstrate deficits in adaptive functioning, yet pure and comorbid groups have not been directly compared. Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales (VABS-II) data were examined in boys with ASD (n = 17), ADHD (n = 31) and…

Impaired visuomotor adaptation in adults with ADHD.

PubMed

Kurdziel, Laura B F; Dempsey, Katherine; Zahara, Mackenzie; Valera, Eve; Spencer, Rebecca M C

2015-04-01

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent psychiatric disorder in children that often continues into adulthood. It has been suggested that motor impairments in ADHD are associated with underlying cerebellar pathology. If such is the case, individuals with ADHD should be impaired on motor tasks requiring healthy cerebellar function. To test this, we compared performance of individuals with ADHD and ADHD-like symptoms with non-ADHD controls on a visuomotor adaptation task known to be impaired following cerebellar lesions. Participants adapted reaching movements to a visual representation that was rotated by 30°. Individuals with ADHD and those with ADHD-like symptoms took longer to correct the angle of movement once the rotation was applied relative to controls. However, post-adaptation residual effect did not differ for individuals with ADHD and ADHD-like symptoms compared to the control group. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that mild cerebellar deficits are evident in the motor performance of adults with ADHD.

Central Processing Energetic Factors Mediate Impaired Motor Control in ADHD Combined Subtype but Not in ADHD Inattentive Subtype

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Egeland, Jens; Ueland, Torill; Johansen, Susanne

2012-01-01

Participants with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are often impaired in visuomotor tasks. However, little is known about the contribution of modal impairment in motor function relative to central processing deficits or whether different processes underlie the impairment in ADHD combined (ADHD-C) versus ADHD inattentive (ADHD-I)…

Resting-State Neurophysiological Activity Patterns in Young People with ASD, ADHD, and ASD + ADHD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shephard, Elizabeth; Tye, Charlotte; Ashwood, Karen L.; Azadi, Bahar; Asherson, Philip; Bolton, Patrick F.; McLoughlin, Grainne

2018-01-01

Altered power of resting-state neurophysiological activity has been associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which commonly co-occur. We compared resting-state neurophysiological power in children with ASD, ADHD, co-occurring ASD + ADHD, and typically developing controls. Children with ASD…

The Role of Parental ADHD in Sustaining the Effects of a Family-School Intervention for ADHD

PubMed Central

Dawson, Anne E.; Wymbs, Brian T.; Marshall, Stephen A.; Mautone, Jennifer A.; Power, Thomas J.

2014-01-01

Objective This study investigated the extent to which parental Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms impact child and parent outcomes following a multimodal family-school intervention, the Family School Success (FSS) program, when compared to an active-control condition (CARE). Method Participants were 139 children with ADHD (67% male; 91% non-Hispanic; 77% Caucasian; grades 2–6) and their primary caretaker (91% female; aged 26–59) who participated in a randomized clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of FSS. Associations were examined between parent-reported ADHD symptoms at baseline and intervention outcomes reported by parents and teachers after treatment and at a 3-month follow-up, including child homework and classroom impairments, child ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder symptoms, parenting behaviors, and parent-teacher relationship quality. Results Across both treatment conditions, parental ADHD was not associated with parent or child outcomes at post-assessment. However, differences emerged between the two treatment groups at follow-up for parents with ADHD, particularly when an empirically-supported symptom cutoff was used to identify parents at-risk for having ADHD. In FSS, but not in CARE, parental ADHD was associated with declines in treatment gains in the quality of the parent-teacher relationship and the child’s homework performance. Conclusions Parents at-risk for ADHD had difficulty maintaining treatment effects for themselves and their child in the FSS intervention, but not in CARE. The supportive and educational components central to the CARE intervention may be helpful in promoting the sustainability of psychosocial interventions for children with ADHD who have parents with elevated ADHD symptoms. PMID:25496523

Child/Adolescent's ADHD and Parenting Stress: The Mediating Role of Family Impact and Conduct Problems.

PubMed

Muñoz-Silva, Alicia; Lago-Urbano, Rocio; Sanchez-Garcia, Manuel; Carmona-Márquez, José

2017-01-01

Objective: The demands of parenting are usually associated with some stress, and elevated levels of stress may affect the parent-child relationships and parenting practices. This is especially the case of families where children have special needs conditions or disorders, like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Method: This study examined parenting stress among mothers of children and adolescents with ADHD. The sample comprised 126 mothers of girls (36; 29%) and boys (90; 71%) aged 6-17 years old. Results: Mothers reported their own stress levels as well as the children and adolescents' variables (severity of their ADHD symptoms, conduct, and emotional problems) and family-contextual variables (negative impact on family's social life, impact on couple relationship, and perceived social support). Hierarchical multiple regression showed that (a) negative impact on social life and conduct problems were the strongest predictors of mother's stress. Bootstrap mediation analyses revealed that (b) the association between child and adolescent's ADHD and parenting stress was mediated by children's conduct problems and by negative impact on family's social life, and not by children's emotional problems nor by mother's perceived social support. The mediation analysis also suggested (c) a pathway from child/adolescent's ADHD through children's conduct problems and then through their negative impact on family's social life to mother's parenting stress. Conclusion: These results suggest that both child/adolescent's and family factors should be considered in the designing of interventions for reducing parenting stress in families of children and adolescents with ADHD.

Sibling Relationships among Children with ADHD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mikami, Amori Yee; Pfiffner, Linda J.

2008-01-01

Objective: This study investigated the quality of sibling relationships among children with ADHD relative to those without ADHD. Additional analyses examined whether externalizing and internalizing problems comorbid with ADHD affected sibling relationships. Method: Participants were 77 children with ADHD and 14 nonproblem control children. Sibling…

ADHD and Adolescent Athletes

PubMed Central

Nazeer, Ahsan; Mansour, Miriam; Gross, Kathleen A.

2014-01-01

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that affects the child and adolescent population. It is characterized by impairment in attention/concentration, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, all of which can impact performance of athletes. ADHD treatment within the athletic population is a unique challenge. The research in this field has been relatively limited. The National Collegiate Athletic Association and International Olympic Committee both regulate the use of psychostimulants for treatment of ADHD due to their performance-enhancing effects. In this article, authors have discussed the screening methods, pharmacological treatment, side effects, and behavioral approaches for the treatment of ADHD in adolescent athletes. PMID:24987666

Enhanced emotional interference on working memory performance in adults with ADHD.

PubMed

Marx, Ivo; Domes, Gregor; Havenstein, Carolin; Berger, Christoph; Schulze, Lars; Herpertz, Sabine C

2011-09-01

Subjects with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) suffer from both executive dysfunction and deficits in emotion regulation. However, up to now, there has been no research demonstrating a clear impact of emotional dysregulation on cognitive performance in subjects with ADHD. Male and female adults with ADHD (n=39) and gender- and IQ-matched control subjects (n=40) performed an emotional working memory task (n-back task). In the background of the task, we presented neutral and negative stimuli varied in emotional saliency (negative pictures with low saliency, negative pictures with high saliency), but subjects were instructed to ignore these pictures and to process the working memory task as quickly and as accurately as possible. Compared to control subjects, ADHD patients showed both a general working memory deficit and enhanced distractability by emotionally salient stimuli in terms of lower n-back performance accuracy. In particular, while controls showed impaired WM performance when presented with highly arousing negative background pictures, a comparable decrement was observed in the ADHD group already with lowly arousing pictures. Our results suggest that difficulties in suppressing attention towards emotionally laden stimuli might result from deficient executive control in ADHD.

Comorbid anxiety and depression in school-aged children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and selfreported symptoms of ADHD, anxiety, and depression among parents of school-aged children with and without ADHD

PubMed Central

XIA, Weiping; SHEN, Lixiao; ZHANG, Jinsong

2015-01-01

Background Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common psychiatric disorder in children that can extend into adulthood and that is often associated with a variety of comorbid psychiatric disorders. Aim Assess the comorbidity of ADHD with anxiety disorders and depressive disorders in school-aged children, and the relationship of the severity of ADHD, anxiety, and depressive symptoms in children who have ADHD with the severity of the corresponding symptoms in their parents. Methods A two-stage screening process identified children 7-10 years of age with and without ADHD treated at the Xin Hua Hospital in Shanghai. ADHD and other DSM-IV diagnoses were determined by a senior clinician using the Schedule for Affective Disorder and Schizophrenia for School-Aged Children (K-SADS-PL). One parent for each enrolled child completed three self-report scales: the ADHD Adult Self Report Scale (ASRS), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). In total 135 children with ADHD and 65 control group children without ADHD were enrolled; parents for 94 of the children with ADHD and 63 of the children without ADHD completed the parental assessment scales. Results Among the 135 children with ADHD, 27% had a comorbid anxiety disorder, 18% had a comorbid depressive disorder, and another 15% had both comorbid anxiety and depressive disorders. Parents of children with ADHD self-reported more severe ADHD inattention symptoms than parents of children without ADHD and were more likely to meet criteria for adult ADHD. Mothers (but not fathers) of children with ADHD had significantly more severe trait anxiety and depressive symptoms than mothers of children without ADHD. Among children with ADHD, the severity of ADHD symptoms was not significantly correlated with the severity of ADHD symptoms in parents, but depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms in the children were significantly correlated with the corresponding symptoms in the parents

ADHD and academic performance: why does ADHD impact on academic performance and what can be done to support ADHD children in the classroom?

PubMed

Daley, D; Birchwood, J

2010-07-01

This paper reviews the relationship between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and academic performance. First, the relationship at different developmental stages is examined, focusing on pre-schoolers, children, adolescents and adults. Second, the review examines the factors underpinning the relationship between ADHD and academic underperformance: the literature suggests that it is the symptoms of ADHD and underlying cognitive deficits not co-morbid conduct problems that are at the root of academic impairment. The review concludes with an overview of the literature examining strategies that are directed towards remediating the academic impairment of individuals with ADHD.

Sustained attention in adult ADHD: time-on-task effects of various measures of attention.

PubMed

Tucha, Lara; Fuermaier, Anselm B M; Koerts, Janneke; Buggenthin, Rieka; Aschenbrenner, Steffen; Weisbrod, Matthias; Thome, Johannes; Lange, Klaus W; Tucha, Oliver

2017-02-01

Neuropsychological research on adults with ADHD showed deficits in various aspects of attention. However, the majority of studies failed to explore the change of performance over time, so-called time-on-task effects. As a consequence, little is known about sustained attention performance of adults with ADHD. The aim of the present study was therefore to test the hypothesis of sustained attention deficits of adults with ADHD. Twenty-nine adults with ADHD and 30 healthy individuals were assessed on four 20-min tests of sustained attention, measuring alertness, selective attention, divided attention and flexibility. The deterioration of performance over time (time-on-task effects) was compared between patients with ADHD and healthy individuals to conclude on sustained attention performance. Compared to healthy individuals, patients with ADHD showed significant deficits of medium size in selective attention and divided attention. Furthermore, medium sustained attention deficits was observed in measures of alertness, selective attention and divided attention. This study supports the notion of sustained attention deficits of adults with ADHD.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy for ADHD in medication-treated adults with continued symptoms.

PubMed

Safren, Steven A; Otto, Michael W; Sprich, Susan; Winett, Carol L; Wilens, Timothy E; Biederman, Joseph

2005-07-01

The purpose of the present study was to examine the potential efficacy, patient acceptability, and feasibility of a novel, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who have been stabilized on medications but still show clinically significant symptoms. Thirty-one adults with ADHD and stable psychopharmacology for ADHD were randomized to CBT plus continued psychopharmacology or continued psychopharmacology alone. Assessments included ADHD severity and associated anxiety and depression rated by an independent evaluator (IE) and by self-report. At the outcome assessment, those who were randomized to CBT had lower IE-rated ADHD symptoms (p < .01) and global severity (p < .002), as well as self-reported ADHD symptoms (p < .0001) than those randomized to continued psychopharmacology alone. Those in the CBT group also had lower IE-rated and self-report anxiety (p's < .04), lower IE-rated depression (p < .01), and a trend to have lower self-reported depression (p = .06). CBT continued to show superiority over continued psychopharmacology alone when statistically controlling levels of depression in analyses of core ADHD symptoms. There were significantly more treatment responders among patients who received CBT (56%) compared to those who did not (13%) (p < .02). These data support the hypothesis that CBT for adults with ADHD with residual symptoms is a feasible, acceptable, and potentially efficacious next-step treatment approach, worthy of further testing.

Deficiency of Sustained Attention in ADHD and Its Potential Genetic Contributor MAOA.

PubMed

Liu, Lu; Cheng, Jia; Su, Yi; Ji, Ning; Gao, Qian; Li, Haimei; Yang, Li; Sun, Li; Qian, Qiujin; Wang, Yufeng

2015-03-17

To investigate the genetic contributors to ADHD sustained attention deficit among noradrenergic genes responsible for the synthesis (dopamine-β-hydroxylase gene, DBH), transport (norepinephrine transporter gene, NET1), reception (alpha-2A adrenergic receptor gene, ADRA2A), and metabolism (monoamine oxidase A gene, MAOA) of noradrenalin (NE). A total of 456 children with ADHD and 108 normal controls were included in a digit cancellation test (DCT). DNA was collected from 242 participants and genotyped for 14 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of noradrenergic genes. Compared with normal controls, children with ADHD showed a lower total score and higher mean error rate in the DCT, indicating poorer sustained attention function. Analysis of covariance showed an association between MAOA genotypes and ADHD performance in DCT, with poorer performance in risk allele carriers. No association was found for other noradrenergic genes. Children with ADHD presented with a sustained attention deficit compared with normal controls. The sustained attention deficit of children with ADHD may be associated with genetic variant of MAOA. © 2015 SAGE Publications.

Under diagnosis of adult ADHD: cultural influences and societal burden.

PubMed

Asherson, Philip; Akehurst, Ron; Kooij, J J Sandra; Huss, Michael; Beusterien, Kathleen; Sasané, Rahul; Gholizadeh, Shadi; Hodgkins, Paul

2012-07-01

To explore the literature focusing on cultural influences in the diagnosis of adult ADHD and respective societal burden. A review of the literature over the past 10 years was performed using OVID. Although numerous articles focused on diagnosis and burden of adult ADHD, few focused on cultural factors influencing diagnosis. Like other mental health disorders, cultural and social perspectives contribute to our understanding of adult ADHD and may play a significant role in the diagnosis and varying acceptance of the condition. Moreover, adults with ADHD may underestimate the impact of ADHD symptoms, and in many cases have learned to compensate for ADHD related impairments by choosing lifestyles that help compensate for symptoms. Some adults with ADHD may appear to function well, however they may expend excessive amounts of energy to overcome impairments; and they may be distressed by ongoing symptoms such as restlessness, mood instability and low self-esteem. Research shows that ADHD can be detrimental to many areas of life including work, daily activities, social and family relationships and psychological and physical well-being. Patient-reported impairments in productivity due to poor time management, procrastination, and distractibility can translate into significant indirect costs and decreased quality of life. ADHD in adults is also associated with increased accidents, medical resource utilization, antisocial behaviour and drug alcohol abuse. The substantial societal burden of adult ADHD highlights the importance of providing a better understanding of the factors that contribute to accurate diagnosis and of improving the low recognition of the disorder in many world regions.

Examining Autistic Traits in Children with ADHD: Does the Autism Spectrum Extend to ADHD?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grzadzinski, Rebecca; Di Martino, Adriana; Brady, Emily; Mairena, Maria Angeles; O'Neale, Matthew; Petkova, Eva; Lord, Catherine; Castellanos, F. Xavier

2011-01-01

We examined to what extent increased parent reports of autistic traits in some children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are the result of ADHD-related symptoms or qualitatively similar to the core characteristics of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Results confirm the presence of a subgroup of children with ADHD and elevated…

The impact of instructional context on classroom on-task behavior: a matched comparison of children with ADHD and non-ADHD classmates.

PubMed

Imeraj, Lindita; Antrop, Inge; Sonuga-Barke, Edmund; Deboutte, Dirk; Deschepper, Ellen; Bal, Sarah; Roeyers, Herbert

2013-08-01

Classroom inattentiveness is an important reason for clinical referral of children with ADHD and a strong predictor of their educational achievement. This study investigates classroom on-task behavior of Flemish children with ADHD withdrawn from medication as a function of instructional context. Thirty-one pairs of children (one with ADHD and one age- and sex-matched control; 25 boys and 6 girls 6 to 12years of age) were observed in their classroom environment during two consecutive school days. On-task behavior (time on-task and on-task span) of ADHD and non-ADHD individuals was compared in different class contexts (i.e., different class structures and academic content types). Individualized teacher supervision was simultaneously assessed. Generalized estimation equation analyses showed that children with ADHD were significantly less on-task than controls during individual work and whole class group teaching, but not during small group work, and had significantly shorter on-task span during academic tasks (mathematics, language, and sciences) and instructional transitions between tasks, but not during music and arts. These effects persisted even after controlling for the higher levels of teacher supervision observed for ADHD pupils (7%) across all contexts (vs. 4% in controls). Findings suggest that despite receiving more overall teacher supervision, children with ADHD displayed lower levels of on-task behavior in settings that place high self-regulatory, information processing, and motivational demands on them. This finding may have initial implications for classroom interventions in this population. Copyright © 2013 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Atomoxetine for treatment of children and adolescents with ADHD].

PubMed

Resen, Katarina; Pagsberg, Anne Katrine; Jörgens, Gesche

2014-03-03

Atomoxetine reduces ADHD symptoms in children and adolescents significantly and is indicated for ADHD with co-morbid anxiety, depression and tics or with an increased risk of abuse. Number needed to treat is 3.4-5. Common adverse effects are stomach pain, decreased appetite and somnolence. Serious adverse effects include increased vascular tone, decreased growth rate and increased suicidal behaviour. In most cases adverse effects are mild to moderate and transient. Since atomoxetine was launched in 2006, 117 cases of toxic exposures have been reported in Denmark.

Risk of unintentional injuries in children and adolescents with ADHD and the impact of ADHD medications: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

PubMed Central

Ruiz-Goikoetxea, Maite; Cortese, Samuele; Aznarez-Sanado, Maite; Magallon, Sara; Luis, Elkin O; Zallo, Noelia Alvarez; de Castro-Manglano, Pilar; Soutullo, Cesar

2017-01-01

Introduction Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been related to increased rates of unintentional injuries. However, the magnitude of the effect and to which extent variables such as sex, age or comorbidity can influence this relationship is unknown. Additionally, and importantly, it is unclear if, and to which degree, ADHD medications can decrease the number of unintentional injuries. Due to the amount of economic and social resources invested in the treatment of injuries, filling these gaps in the literature is highly relevant from a public health standpoint. Here, we present a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the relationship between ADHD and unintentional injuries and assess the impact of pharmacological treatment for ADHD Methods and analysis We will combine results from 114 bibliographic databases for studies relating ADHD and risk of injuries. Bibliographic searches and data extraction will be carried out independently by two researchers. The studies’ risk of bias will be assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Articles reporting ORs or HRs of suffering an injury in ADHD compared with controls (or enough data to calculate them) will be combined using Robust Variance Estimation, a method that permits to include multiple non-independent outcomes in the analysis. All analyses will be carried out in Stata. Age, sex and comorbid conduct disorders will be considered as potential causes of variance and their effect analysed through meta-regression and subgroup analysis. Sensitivity analyses will exclude articles with longer follow-ups, non-stringent definitions of ADHD or controls and statistically uncontrolled/controlled outcomes. Studies implementing a self-controlled case series methodology to investigate if ADHD drugs reduce the risk of injuries will be combined with a generalised linear mixed model using the Poisson distribution and a log link function. Registration details PROSPERO—Prospective Register of

Confronting ADHD in the Music Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Patience

2009-01-01

Tell-tale signs of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) ADHD and its relative ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) include an inability to maintain attention, impulsive behaviors, and/or motor restlessness. There are three subcategories of ADHD; for the purpose of this article, the blanket term ADHD applies to all three. A crucial first step…

Coaching for College Students with ADHD.

PubMed

Prevatt, Frances

2016-12-01

Evidence suggests that ADHD can impair academic achievement in college students and throughout the life span. College students with ADHD are an at-risk population who might benefit from interventions. An offshoot of CBT-oriented therapy that has grown significantly and gained popularity in recent years is ADHD coaching. ADHD coaching is a psychosocial intervention that helps individuals develop skills, strategies, and behaviors to cope with the core impairments associated with ADHD. Most coaching programs are primarily based on a CBT approach and target planning, time management, goal setting, organization, and problem solving. This paper describes ADHD coaching for college students and discusses how coaching is different from standard CBT treatment. This is followed by a review of empirical studies of the effectiveness of ADHD coaching for college students. Finally, some specific considerations and procedures used in coaching are described.

High Loading of Polygenic Risk for ADHD in Children With Comorbid Aggression

PubMed Central

Hamshere, Marian L.; Langley, Kate; Martin, Joanna; Agha, Sharifah Shameem; Stergiakouli, Evangelia; Anney, Richard J.L.; Buitelaar, Jan; Faraone, Stephen V.; Lesch, Klaus-Peter; Neale, Benjamin M.; Franke, Barbara; Sonuga-Barke, Edmund; Asherson, Philip; Merwood, Andrew; Kuntsi, Jonna; Medland, Sarah E.; Ripke, Stephan; Steinhausen, Hans-Christoph; Freitag, Christine; Reif, Andreas; Renner, Tobias J.; Romanos, Marcel; Romanos, Jasmin; Warnke, Andreas; Meyer, Jobst; Palmason, Haukur; Vasquez, Alejandro Arias; Lambregts-Rommelse, Nanda; Roeyers, Herbert; Biederman, Joseph; Doyle, Alysa E.; Hakonarson, Hakon; Rothenberger, Aribert; Banaschewski, Tobias; Oades, Robert D.; McGough, James J.; Kent, Lindsey; Williams, Nigel; Owen, Michael J.; Holmans, Peter

2013-01-01

Objective Although attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is highly heritable, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have not yet identified any common genetic variants that contribute to risk. There is evidence that aggression or conduct disorder in children with ADHD indexes higher genetic loading and clinical severity. The authors examine whether common genetic variants considered en masse as polygenic scores for ADHD are especially enriched in children with comorbid conduct disorder. Method Polygenic scores derived from an ADHD GWAS meta-analysis were calculated in an independent ADHD sample (452 case subjects, 5,081 comparison subjects). Multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to compare polygenic scores in the ADHD and comparison groups and test for higher scores in ADHD case subjects with comorbid conduct disorder relative to comparison subjects and relative to those without comorbid conduct disorder. Association with symptom scores was tested using linear regression. Results Polygenic risk for ADHD, derived from the meta-analysis, was higher in the independent ADHD group than in the comparison group. Polygenic score was significantly higher in ADHD case subjects with conduct disorder relative to ADHD case subjects without conduct disorder. ADHD polygenic score showed significant association with comorbid conduct disorder symptoms. This relationship was explained by the aggression items. Conclusions Common genetic variation is relevant to ADHD, especially in individuals with comorbid aggression. The findings suggest that the previously published ADHD GWAS meta-analysis contains weak but true associations with common variants, support for which falls below genome-wide significance levels. The findings also highlight the fact that aggression in ADHD indexes genetic as well as clinical severity. PMID:23599091

Inhibition, Reinforcement Sensitivity and Temporal Information Processing in ADHD and ADHD+ODD: Evidence of a Separate Entity?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luman, Marjolein; van Noesel, Steffen J. P.; Papanikolau, Alky; Van Oostenbruggen-Scheffer, Janneke; Veugelers, Diane; Sergeant, Joseph A.; Oosterlaan, Jaap

2009-01-01

This study compared children with ADHD-only, ADHD+ODD and normal controls (age 8-12) on three key neurocognitive functions: response inhibition, reinforcement sensitivity, and temporal information processing. The goal was twofold: (a) to investigate neurocognitive impairments in children with ADHD-only and children with ADHD+ODD, and (b) to test…

The Impact of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Reducing Child Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Transler, Catherine; Eilander, Ans; Mitchell, Siobhan; van de Meer, Nelly

2010-01-01

Objectives: To review the impact of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in reducing ADHD symptoms in children. Methods: Peer-reviewed experimental literature published from 1980 to Mai 2009 is consulted (Psychinfo, Medline, and resulting reference lists). Results: Placebo-controlled studies with ADHD or hyperactive children show no effects on…

Interaction of recalled parental ADHD symptoms and rearing behavior with current attachment and emotional dysfunction in adult offspring with ADHD.

PubMed

Edel, Marc-Andreas; Juckel, Georg; Brüne, Martin

2010-06-30

Research into attachment and emotion regulation has shown that children with ADHD are at risk of developing attachment disorders and emotion regulation disturbances, which in part may be due to the rearing style of their parents. No such data exists for adults with persistent ADHD. We hypothesized that current attachment style and emotion processing of adult patients with ADHD may be influenced by the presence of parental ADHD symptoms when the now adult patients were children, assuming that ADHD symptoms of parents have an impact on their parenting style. We examined recalled parental ADHD symptoms and rearing style as well as current attachment and emotion regulation abilities in a sample of 73 adults with ADHD using several self-rating instruments. Recalled prevalence of ADHD symptoms in the mother, and less so in the father, of adult patients with ADHD was significantly associated with partly adverse parental rearing styles, current attachment problems in romantic partnerships and emotion regulation disturbances compared with adult ADHD patients without possibly affected parent. ADHD symptoms in parents of children with ADHD may present a risk factor for attachment problems and poor emotion regulation when ADHD children are grown.

Association of ADHD symptoms and social competence with cognitive status in preschoolers.

PubMed

Ramos, Rosa; Freire, Carmen; Julvez, Jordi; Fernández, Mariana F; García-Esteban, Raquel; Torrent, Maties; Sunyer, Jordi; Olea, Nicolás

2013-03-01

We aimed to investigate the association of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and social competence outcomes with cognitive status in preschool children. The study population was drawn from three birth cohorts belonging to the Spanish INMA (Infancia y Medio Ambiente) project: Menorca (n = 289), Ribera d'Ebre (n = 60), and Granada (n = 108). Children were assessed at the age of 4 years for cognitive functions (McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities, MSCA) by psychologists and for inattention and hyperactivity symptoms (ADHD Criteria of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, ADHD-DSM-IV) and social competence (California Preschool Social Competence Scale) by their teachers. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine potential associations between behavioral outcomes (ADHD symptoms and social competence) and MSCA cognitive outcomes, adjusting for confounders. The presence of general ADHD symptoms (inattention, hyperactivity, or both) and poorer social competence both showed negative associations with cognitive outcomes. When we compared children according to ADHD subtypes, those with inattention symptoms alone and those with both inattention and hyperactivity symptoms showed significantly lower cognitive function scores in comparison to children with no ADHD symptoms. Behavioral dysfunctions in preschoolers may be associated with impairment of cognitive functions.

Standardised assessment of functioning in ADHD: consensus on the ICF Core Sets for ADHD.

PubMed

Bölte, Sven; Mahdi, Soheil; Coghill, David; Gau, Susan Shur-Fen; Granlund, Mats; Holtmann, Martin; Karande, Sunil; Levy, Florence; Rohde, Luis A; Segerer, Wolfgang; de Vries, Petrus J; Selb, Melissa

2018-02-12

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with significant impairments in social, educational, and occupational functioning, as well as specific strengths. Currently, there is no internationally accepted standard to assess the functioning of individuals with ADHD. WHO's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health-child and youth version (ICF) can serve as a conceptual basis for such a standard. The objective of this study is to develop a comprehensive, a common brief, and three age-appropriate brief ICF Core Sets for ADHD. Using a standardised methodology, four international preparatory studies generated 132 second-level ICF candidate categories that served as the basis for developing ADHD Core Sets. Using these categories and following an iterative consensus process, 20 ADHD experts from nine professional disciplines and representing all six WHO regions selected the most relevant categories to constitute the ADHD Core Sets. The consensus process resulted in 72 second-level ICF categories forming the comprehensive ICF Core Set-these represented 8 body functions, 35 activities and participation, and 29 environmental categories. A Common Brief Core Set that included 38 categories was also defined. Age-specific brief Core Sets included a 47 category preschool version for 0-5 years old, a 55 category school-age version for 6-16 years old, and a 52 category version for older adolescents and adults 17 years old and above. The ICF Core Sets for ADHD mark a milestone toward an internationally standardised functional assessment of ADHD across the lifespan, and across educational, administrative, clinical, and research settings.

Prevalence and Correlates of Self-Reported ADHD Symptoms in Children Attending School in India.

PubMed

Jaisoorya, T S; Beena, K V; Beena, M; Ellangovan, K; George, Sanju; Thennarasu, K; Srinath, Shoba

2016-09-02

To study the prevalence and correlates of self-reported ADHD symptoms among school-going adolescents from Kerala, India. Seven thousand five hundred sixty students from Classes 8, 10, and 12, aged 12 to 19 years, across 73 schools selected by cluster random sampling, were invited to participate, but only 7,150 successfully completed the questionnaire incorporating standardized instruments. Three hundred five (4.3%) self-reported symptoms for ADHD combined type, 131 (1.8%) for ADHD hyperactive-impulsive type, and 102 (1.4%) for ADHD inattentive type with a male predominance. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that those with symptoms of ADHD (combined type) compared with the non-ADHD group had poorer academic performance, significantly higher substance use, psychological distress, suicidality, and sexual abuse. The high prevalence of self-reported ADHD symptoms and its association with negative correlates previously reported in literature in those with a diagnosis of ADHD suggests that clinically significant self-reported ADHD symptoms could be as disabling as ADHD. © The Author(s) 2016.

Improving Interference Control in ADHD Patients with Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS).

PubMed

Breitling, Carolin; Zaehle, Tino; Dannhauer, Moritz; Bonath, Björn; Tegelbeckers, Jana; Flechtner, Hans-Henning; Krauel, Kerstin

2016-01-01

The use of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been suggested as a promising alternative to psychopharmacological treatment approaches due to its local and network effects on brain activation. In the current study, we investigated the impact of tDCS over the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG) on interference control in 21 male adolescents with ADHD and 21 age matched healthy controls aged 13-17 years, who underwent three separate sessions of tDCS (anodal, cathodal, and sham) while completing a Flanker task. Even though anodal stimulation appeared to diminish commission errors in the ADHD group, the overall analysis revealed no significant effect of tDCS. Since participants showed a considerable learning effect from the first to the second session, performance in the first session was separately analyzed. ADHD patients receiving sham stimulation in the first session showed impaired interference control compared to healthy control participants whereas ADHD patients who were exposed to anodal stimulation, showed comparable performance levels (commission errors, reaction time variability) to the control group. These results suggest that anodal tDCS of the right inferior frontal gyrus could improve interference control in patients with ADHD.

College Students' Attitudes toward Their ADHD Peers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chew, Brandi L.; Jensen, Scott A.; Rosen, Lee A.

2009-01-01

Objective: The attitudes of college students with and without ADHD toward peers with ADHD were examined. Method: A total of 196 college students (30 diagnosed with ADHD) anonymously completed four attitude measures. General analyses of attitudes toward peers with ADHD as well as comparisons between those with and without ADHD are made. Results:…

Childhood ADHD Symptoms: Association with Parental Social Networks and Mental Health Service Use during Adolescence.

PubMed

Bussing, Regina; Meyer, Johanna; Zima, Bonnie T; Mason, Dana M; Gary, Faye A; Garvan, Cynthia Wilson

2015-09-22

This study examines the associations of childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) risk status with subsequent parental social network characteristics and caregiver strain in adolescence; and examines predictors of adolescent mental health service use. Baseline ADHD screening identified children at high risk (n = 207) and low risk (n = 167) for ADHD. At eight-year follow-up, parents reported their social network characteristics, caregiver strain, adolescents' psychopathology and mental health service utilization, whereas adolescents self-reported their emotional status and ADHD stigma perceptions. Analyses were conducted using ANOVAs and nested logistic regression modeling. Parents of youth with childhood ADHD reported support networks consisting of fewer spouses but more healthcare professionals, and lower levels of support than control parents. Caregiver strain increased with adolescent age and psychopathology. Increased parental network support, youth ADHD symptoms, and caregiver strain, but lower youth stigma perceptions were independently associated with increased service use. Raising children with ADHD appears to significantly impact parental social network experiences. Reduced spousal support and overall lower network support levels may contribute to high caregiver strain commonly reported among parents of ADHD youth. Parental social network experiences influence adolescent ADHD service use. With advances in social networking technology, further research is needed to elucidate ways to enhance caregiver support during ADHD care.

Parenting Stress and Youth Symptoms among Girls with and without ADHD

PubMed Central

Gordon, Chanelle T.; Hinshaw, Stephen P.

2017-01-01

SYNOPSIS Objective To examine the aspects of parenting stress—parental distress [PD] and parental stress due to dysfunctional interactions [PSDI]—reported by mothers of girls with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in both childhood and adolescence and to understand their associations with internalizing and externalizing symptoms in adolescence. Design The diverse sample comprised 120 girls with ADHD and 81 age- and ethnicity-matched comparison girls, evaluated at ages 6–12 years and followed prospectively for 5 years. Basic demographics, oppositionality, childhood behavioral outcomes and symptoms, and key parenting practice were covaried in the analyses. Results Longitudinally, PD during the participants’ childhood was positively associated with adolescent externalizing and internalizing behaviors, even when statistically controlling for parallel childhood behaviors. PSDI during adolescence was associated with contemporaneous adolescent depressive symptoms and externalizing behaviors, but PD was associated with only internalizing behaviors. With respect to moderation by diagnostic group, PSDI (in childhood) was associated with adolescent internalizing symptoms only in girls with ADHD. However, associations between PD in childhood and internalizing behaviors were stronger in the comparison than the ADHD sample. Conclusions Minimizing early dysfunctional interactions might reduce internalizing behaviors in girls with ADHD. Interventions targeting parental distress may be beneficial for girls, regardless of ADHD status. PMID:29308056

Intelligence profiles of Chinese school-aged boys with high-functioning ASD and ADHD

PubMed Central

Li, Gaizhi; Jiang, Wenqing; Du, Yasong; Rossbach, Kathryn

2017-01-01

Purpose This study aimed to explore the intelligence profiles of Chinese school-aged boys with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Additionally, differences in intelligence quotient (IQ) between the HFASD group and the ADHD group were examined. Patients and methods Thirty-two boys with HFASD, 58 boys with ADHD, and 39 typically developing (TD) boys aged 6–16 years participated in this study. The ADHD group was divided into subgroups: ADHD-I (predominantly inattentive) and ADHD-C (combined type). (The ADHD-H [hyperactive] group was excluded because of small sample size). The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV Chinese version was administered to every participant, and the FSIQ (Full-Scale IQ) score was used as the measure of IQ. Results Both boys with HFASD and ADHD (ADHD-I and ADHD-C) showed impairments in Processing Speed Index and FSIQ, as compared to the TD group. Lower Verbal Comprehension Index scores were found in the ASD and ADHD-I groups. Interestingly, Working Memory Index was only impaired in children with ADHD. Additionally, equivalent Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI) scores were found among the HFASD, ADHD, and TD groups. Conclusion Results indicated that both children with ADHD and HFASD have difficulty in processing speed, which may be explained by these children having neurodevelopmental disorders. These results also indicated that working memory appears to only be impacted by having ADHD. Children with ASD are known to have language difficulties while children with ADHD typically display working memory deficits; thus, these findings were expected. PMID:28670123

ADHD and lifestyle habits in Czech adults, a national sample.

PubMed

Weissenberger, Simon; Ptacek, Radek; Vnukova, Martina; Raboch, Jiri; Klicperova-Baker, Martina; Domkarova, Lucie; Goetz, Michal

2018-01-01

Adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been added as a diagnosis to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders version 5 (DSM5) in 2013, thus making ADHD, which has been classically known as a childhood disorder, a life-long disorder. Those suffering from the condition show very specific behavioral traits, which manifest as lifestyle habits; they also show comorbidities that can be the symptoms and/or consequences of certain lifestyles. The targeted population was adults aged 18-65 years. The total sample was 1,012 (507 males and 505 females). The Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS V. 1.1) was administered to evaluate the current symptoms of ADHD and a questionnaire regarding lifestyles that are pertinent to ADHD, exercise, drug use, and diet. An ASRS score of 4-6 points was found in 11.4% of the male population and 9.7% of the female population (5-6 points indicate very high-intensity symptoms). A score of 6, the highest intensity of symptomatology, was found in 1.18% of males and 0.99% of females. Gender differences in scores were not statistically significant. In terms of self-reported lifestyles, we calculated an ordered logistic regression and the odds ratios of those with ASRS scores >4. Those with higher ASRS scores had higher rates of self-reported unhealthy lifestyles and poor diets with high consumption of sweets. We also ascertained a paradoxical finding that is not in line with the current literature on the disorder - lower rates of cigarette smoking among people with higher ADHD symptomatology. Several specific lifestyles were found to be associated with higher ADHD symptoms such as poor diet and cannabis use. Other factors classically associated with the disorder such as cocaine addiction and nicotinism were either insignificant or surprisingly less prominent among the Czech sample. However, ADHD-prone respondents reported to be more physically active, which fits the clinical picture of hyperactivity but contrasts

Simulated Driving Performance of Adults with ADHD: Comparisons with Alcohol Intoxication

PubMed Central

Weafer, Jessica; Camarillo, Daniel; Fillmore, Mark T.; Milich, Richard; Marczinski, Cecile A.

2015-01-01

Previous research has demonstrated that adults with ADHD are more likely to experience driving-related problems, which suggests that they may exhibit poorer driving performance. However, direct experimental evidence of this hypothesis is limited. The current study involved two experiments that evaluated driving performance in adults with ADHD in terms of the types of driving decrements typically associated with alcohol intoxication. Experiment 1 compared the simulated driving performance of 15 adults with ADHD to 23 adult control participants, who performed the task both while sober and intoxicated. Results showed that sober adults with ADHD exhibited decrements in driving performance compared to sober controls, and that the profile of impairment for the sober ADHD group did in fact resemble that of intoxicated drivers at the BAC level for legally impaired driving in the United States. Driving impairment of the intoxicated individuals was characterized by greater deviation of lane position, faster and more abrupt steering maneuvers, and increased speed variability. Experiment 2 was a dose-challenge study in which 8 adults with ADHD and 8 controls performed the driving simulation task under three doses of alcohol: 0.65 g/kg, 0.45 g/kg, and 0.0 g/kg (placebo). Results showed that driving performance in both groups was impaired in response to alcohol, and that individuals with ADHD exhibited generally poorer driving performance than did controls across all dose conditions. Together the findings provide compelling evidence to suggest that the cognitive and behavioral deficits associated with ADHD might impair driving performance in such a manner as to resemble that of an alcohol intoxicated driver. Moreover, alcohol might impair the performance of drivers with ADHD in an additive fashion that could considerably compromise their driving skill even at blood alcohol concentrations below the legal limit. PMID:18540785

Mindfulness based cognitive therapy versus treatment as usual in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

PubMed

Janssen, Lotte; Kan, Cornelis C; Carpentier, Pieter J; Sizoo, Bram; Hepark, Sevket; Grutters, Janneke; Donders, Rogier; Buitelaar, Jan K; Speckens, Anne E M

2015-09-15

Adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often present with a lifelong pattern of core symptoms that is associated with impairments of functioning in daily life. This has a substantial personal and economic impact. In clinical practice there is a high need for additional or alternative interventions for existing treatments, usually consisting of pharmacotherapy and/or psycho-education. Although previous studies show preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions in reducing ADHD symptoms and improving executive functioning, these studies have methodological limitations. This study will take account of these limitations and will examine the effectiveness of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) in further detail. A multi-centre, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial will be conducted in N = 120 adults with ADHD. Patients will be randomised to MBCT in addition to treatment as usual (TAU) or TAU alone. Assessments will take place at baseline and at three, six and nine months after baseline. Primary outcome measure will be severity of ADHD symptoms rated by a blinded clinician. Secondary outcome measures will be self-reported ADHD symptoms, executive functioning, mindfulness skills, self-compassion, positive mental health and general functioning. In addition, a cost-effectiveness analysis will be conducted. This trial will offer valuable information about the clinical and cost-effectiveness of MBCT in addition to TAU compared to TAU alone in adults swith ADHD. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02463396. Registered 8 June 2015.

Children with ADHD Show No Deficits in Plantar Foot Sensitivity and Static Balance Compared to Healthy Controls

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schlee, Gunther; Neubert, Tom; Worenz, Andreas; Milani, Thomas L.

2012-01-01

The goal of this study was to investigate plantar foot sensitivity and balance control of ADHD (n = 21) impaired children compared to age-matched healthy controls (n = 25). Thresholds were measured at 200 Hz at three anatomical locations of the plantar foot area of both feet (hallux, first metatarsal head (METI) and heel). Body balance was…

Comparison of Sensorimotor Rhythm (SMR) and Beta Training on Selective Attention and Symptoms in Children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A Trend Report.

PubMed

Mohammadi, Mohammad Reza; Malmir, Nastaran; Khaleghi, Ali; Aminiorani, Majd

2015-06-01

The aim of this study was to assess and compare the effect of two neurofeedback protocols (SMR/theta and beta/theta) on ADHD symptoms, selective attention and EEG (electroencephalogram) parameters in children with ADHD. The sample consisted of 16 children (9-15 year old: 13 boys; 3 girls) with ADHD-combined type (ADHD-C). All of children used methylphenidate (MPH) during the study. The neurofeedback training consisted of two phases of 15 sessions, each lasting 45 minutes. In the first phase, participants were trained to enhance sensorimotor rhythm (12-15 Hz) and reduce theta activity (4-8 Hz) at C4 and in the second phase; they had to increase beta (15-18 Hz) and reduce theta activity at C3. Assessments consisted of d2 attention endurance test, ADHD rating scale (parent form) at three time periods: before, middle and the end of the training. EEG signals were recorded just before and after the training. Based on parents' reports, inattention after beta/theta training, and hyperactivity/impulsivity were improved after the end of the training. All subscales of d2 test were improved except for the difference between maximum and minimum responses. However, EEG analysis showed no significant differences. Neurofeedback in conjunction with Methylphenidate may cause further improvement in ADHD symptoms reported by parents and selective attention without long-term impact on EEG patterns. However, determining the exact relationship between EEG parameters, neurofeedback protocols and ADHD symptoms remain unclear.

Teachers' Knowledge of ADHD, Treatments for ADHD, and Treatment Acceptability: An Initial Investigation. Research Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vereb, Rebecca L.; DiPerna, James C.

2004-01-01

The purpose of this study was to begin to explore the relationship among teachers' knowledge of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), knowledge of common treatments for ADHD, and acceptability of different approaches to treatment for ADHD (medication and behavior management). Relationships also were explored between these variables and…

Saccadic movement deficiencies in adults with ADHD tendencies.

PubMed

Lee, Yun-Jeong; Lee, Sangil; Chang, Munseon; Kwak, Ho-Wan

2015-12-01

The goal of the present study was to explore deficits in gaze detection and emotional value judgment during a saccadic eye movement task in adults with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) tendencies. Thirty-two participants, consisting of 16 ADHD tendencies and 16 controls, were recruited from a pool of 243 university students. Among the many problems in adults with ADHDs, our research focused on the deficits in the processing of nonverbal cues, such as gaze direction and the emotional value of others' faces. In Experiment 1, a cue display containing a face with emotional value and gaze direction was followed by a target display containing two faces located on the left and right side of the display. The participant's task was to make an anti-saccade opposite to the gaze direction if the cue face was not emotionally neutral. ADHD tendencies showed more overall errors than controls in making anti-saccades. Based on the hypothesis that the exposure duration of the cue display in Experiment 1 may have been too long, we presented the cue and target display simultaneously to prevent participants from preparing saccades in advance. Participants in Experiment 2 were asked to make either a pro-saccade or an anti-saccade depending on the emotional value of the central cue face. Interestingly, significant group differences were observed for errors of omission and commission. In addition, a significant three-way interaction among groups, cue emotion, and target gaze direction suggests that the emotional recognition and gaze control systems might somehow be interconnected. The result also shows that ADHDs are more easily distracted by a task-irrelevant gaze direction. Taken together, these results suggest that tasks requiring both response inhibition (anti-saccade) and gaze-emotion recognition might be useful in developing a diagnostic test for discriminating adults with ADHDs from healthy adults.

Shared genetic influences between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) traits in children and clinical ADHD.

PubMed

Stergiakouli, Evie; Martin, Joanna; Hamshere, Marian L; Langley, Kate; Evans, David M; St Pourcain, Beate; Timpson, Nicholas J; Owen, Michael J; O'Donovan, Michael; Thapar, Anita; Davey Smith, George

2015-04-01

Twin studies and genome-wide complex trait analysis (GCTA) are not in agreement regarding heritability estimates for behavioral traits in children from the general population. This has sparked a debate on the possible difference in genetic architecture between behavioral traits and psychiatric disorders. In this study, we test whether polygenic risk scores associated with variation in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) trait levels in children from the general population predict ADHD diagnostic status and severity in an independent clinical sample. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with p < .5 from a genome-wide association study of ADHD traits in 4,546 children (mean age, 7 years 7 months) from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC; general population sample) were selected to calculate polygenic risk scores in 508 children with an ADHD diagnosis (independent clinical sample) and 5,081 control participants. Polygenic scores were tested for association with case-control status and severity of disorder in the clinical sample. Increased polygenic score for ADHD traits predicted ADHD case-control status (odds ratio = 1.17 [95% CI = 1.08-1.28], p = .0003), higher ADHD symptom severity (β = 0.29 [95% CI = 0.04-0.54], p = 0.02), and symptom domain severity in the clinical sample. This study highlights the relevance of additive genetic variance in ADHD, and provides evidence that shared genetic factors contribute to both behavioral traits in the general population and psychiatric disorders at least in the case of ADHD. Copyright © 2015 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Piloting a mobile health intervention to increase physical activity for adolescents with ADHD.

PubMed

Schoenfelder, Erin; Moreno, Megan; Wilner, Molly; Whitlock, Kathryn B; Mendoza, Jason A

2017-06-01

Physical activity (PA) reduces symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD); interventions to increase PA may improve functioning and health for adolescents with ADHD. Mobile health (mHealth) technology and social media constitute promising interactive modalities for engaging adolescents-who are at highest risk for ADHD treatment drop-out-in interventions to increase PA. The current pilot study evaluated feasibility and acceptability of an innovative intervention incorporating an mHealth-linked wearable activity tracker (Fitbit Flex) and a Facebook group to increase PA among adolescents with ADHD. 11 adolescents diagnosed with ADHD (age 14-18, m = 15.5; 54% female) participated in a 4-week trial utilizing the Fitbit Flex in conjunction with (1) weekly personalized step count goals (2) social support through a Facebook group and (3) daily text messages about PA. The study took place in the greater Seattle, Washington area in the fall of 2015. Adolescents completed online surveys twice per week to rate their ADHD symptoms and positive and negative mood states, and parents rated adolescent ADHD symptoms weekly. Participants were adherent to the study protocol and acceptability of the intervention was high. Linear mixed models indicated that participants significantly increased their average weekly steps over the course of the study and demonstrated improvements in both adolescent and parent-reported ADHD Inattentive symptoms. Results indicate that this mHealth intervention is engaging and promising for increasing PA among adolescents with ADHD, and warrant further study. Implications for improving ADHD symptoms and overall functioning for this undertreated population are discussed.

Autistic traits in children with ADHD index clinical and cognitive problems.

PubMed

Cooper, Miriam; Martin, Joanna; Langley, Kate; Hamshere, Marian; Thapar, Anita

2014-01-01

Traits of autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) occur frequently in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but the significance of their presence in terms of phenotype and underlying neurobiology is not properly understood. This analysis aimed to determine whether higher levels of autistic traits, as measured by the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ), index a more severe presentation in a large, rigorously phenotyped sample of children with ADHD (N=711). Regression analyses were used to examine association of SCQ scores with core ADHD features, clinical comorbidities and cognitive and developmental features, with adjustment for putative confounders. For outcomes showing association with total SCQ score, secondary analyses determined levels of differential association of the three ASD sub-domains. Results suggest that increasing ASD symptomatology within ADHD is associated with a more severe phenotype in terms of oppositional, conduct and anxiety symptoms, lower full-scale IQ, working memory deficits and general motor problems. These associations persisted after accounting for ADHD severity, suggesting that autistic symptomatology independently indexes the severity of comorbid impairments in the context of ADHD. Sub-domain scores did not show unique contributions to most outcomes, except that social deficits were independently associated with oppositional symptoms and repetitive behaviours independently predicted hyperactive-impulsive symptoms and motor problems. It would be worthwhile for clinicians to consider levels of socio-communicative and repetitive traits in those with ADHD who do not meet diagnostic criteria for ASD, as they index higher levels of phenotypic complexity, which may have implications for efficacy of interventions.

Resting state fMRI entropy probes complexity of brain activity in adults with ADHD.

PubMed

Sokunbi, Moses O; Fung, Wilson; Sawlani, Vijay; Choppin, Sabine; Linden, David E J; Thome, Johannes

2013-12-30

In patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), quantitative neuroimaging techniques have revealed abnormalities in various brain regions, including the frontal cortex, striatum, cerebellum, and occipital cortex. Nonlinear signal processing techniques such as sample entropy have been used to probe the regularity of brain magnetoencephalography signals in patients with ADHD. In the present study, we extend this technique to analyse the complex output patterns of the 4 dimensional resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging signals in adult patients with ADHD. After adjusting for the effect of age, we found whole brain entropy differences (P=0.002) between groups and negative correlation (r=-0.45) between symptom scores and mean whole brain entropy values, indicating lower complexity in patients. In the regional analysis, patients showed reduced entropy in frontal and occipital regions bilaterally and a significant negative correlation between the symptom scores and the entropy maps at a family-wise error corrected cluster level of P<0.05 (P=0.001, initial threshold). Our findings support the hypothesis of abnormal frontal-striatal-cerebellar circuits in ADHD and the suggestion that sample entropy is a useful tool in revealing abnormalities in the brain dynamics of patients with psychiatric disorders. © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Measurement of the effect of physical exercise on the concentration of individuals with ADHD.

PubMed

Silva, Alessandro P; Prado, Sueli O S; Scardovelli, Terigi A; Boschi, Silvia R M S; Campos, Luiz C; Frère, Annie F

2015-01-01

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) mainly affects the academic performance of children and adolescents. In addition to bringing physical and mental health benefits, physical activity has been used to prevent and improve ADHD comorbidities; however, its effectiveness has not been quantified. In this study, the effect of physical activity on children's attention was measured using a computer game. Intense physical activity was promoted by a relay race, which requires a 5-min run without a rest interval. The proposed physical stimulus was performed with 28 volunteers: 14 with ADHD (GE-EF) and 14 without ADHD symptoms (GC-EF). After 5 min of rest, these volunteers accessed the computer game to accomplish the tasks in the shortest time possible. The computer game was also accessed by another 28 volunteers: 14 with ADHD (GE) and 14 without these symptoms (GC). The response time to solve the tasks that require attention was recorded. The results of the four groups were analyzed using D'Agostino statistical tests of normality, Kruskal-Wallis analyses of variance and post-hoc Dunn tests. The groups of volunteers with ADHD who performed exercise (GE-EF) showed improved performance for the tasks that require attention with a difference of 30.52% compared with the volunteers with ADHD who did not perform the exercise (GE). The (GE-EF) group showed similar performance (2.5% difference) with the volunteers in the (GC) group who have no ADHD symptoms and did not exercise. This study shows that intense exercise can improve the attention of children with ADHD and may help their school performance.

The relationship between ADHD symptoms, mood instability, and self-reported offending.

PubMed

Gudjonsson, Gisli H; Sigurdsson, Jon Fridrik; Adalsteinsson, Tomas F; Young, Susan

2013-05-01

To investigate the relative importance of ADHD symptoms, mood instability, and antisocial personality disorder traits in predicting self-reported offending. A total of 295 Icelandic students completed two scales of offending behavior and measures of ADHD symptoms, mood instability, and antisocial personality traits. Self-reported offending from the two independent scales correlated significantly with ADHD symptoms, mood instability, and antisocial personality traits with medium to large effect size. Multiple regressions showed that ADHD symptoms contributed to the two outcome measures beyond that of age and gender with a medium effect size. The ADHD effects were only partly mediated by mood instability and antisocial personality traits for general offending but were almost completely mediated by the more reactive measure of antisocial behavior. ADHD appears to be a potential risk factor for general offending in its own right irrespective of the presence of comorbidity, whereas mood instability is more important with regard to reactive behavior.

Acute Stimulant Treatment and Reinforcement Increase the Speed of Information Accumulation in Children with ADHD.

PubMed

Fosco, Whitney D; White, Corey N; Hawk, Larry W

2017-07-01

The current studies utilized drift diffusion modeling (DDM) to examine how reinforcement and stimulant medication affect cognitive task performance in children with ADHD. In Study 1, children with (n = 25; 88 % male) and without ADHD (n = 33; 82 % male) completed a 2-choice discrimination task at baseline (100 trials) and again a week later under alternating reinforcement and no-reinforcement contingencies (400 trials total). In Study 2, participants with ADHD (n = 29; 72 % male) completed a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 0.3 and 0.6 mg/kg methylphenidate and completed the same task utilized in Study 1 at baseline (100 trials). Children with ADHD accumulated information at a much slower rate than controls, as evidenced by a lower drift rate. Groups were similar in nondecision time and boundary separation. Both reinforcement and stimulant medication markedly improved drift rate in children with ADHD (ds = 0.70 and 0.95 for reinforcement and methylphenidate, respectively); both treatments also reduced boundary separation (ds = 0.70 and 0.39). Reinforcement, which emphasized speeded accuracy, reduced nondecision time (d = 0.37), whereas stimulant medication increased nondecision time (d = 0.38). These studies provide initial evidence that frontline treatments for ADHD primarily impact cognitive performance in youth with ADHD by improving the speed/efficiency of information accumulation. Treatment effects on other DDM parameters may vary between treatments or interact with task parameters (number of trials, task difficulty). DDM, in conjunction with other approaches, may be helpful in clarifying the specific cognitive processes that are disrupted in ADHD, as well as the basic mechanisms that underlie the efficacy of ADHD treatments.

Friendship Characteristics of Children With ADHD.

PubMed

Marton, Imola; Wiener, Judith; Rogers, Maria; Moore, Chris

2015-10-01

This study explored the friendship characteristics of 8 to 12 year old children with and without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Friendship characteristics included number of nominated and corroborated friends, duration of friendships, amount of contact with friends, and the proportion of friends with learning and behavioral problems. The sample comprised 92 children, 50 with a diagnosis of ADHD and 42 comparison children. While children with ADHD did not differ from comparison children in the number of friends they nominated, parents and teachers of children with ADHD were less likely to corroborate that these friendships existed. The friendships of children with ADHD were also shorter in duration. While children with ADHD were indistinguishable from comparison children with regards to the amount of telephone contact with friends, they spent less time with friends outside of school than comparison children. Children with ADHD had a higher proportion of friends with learning and behavior problems. While children with ADHD differ from comparison children in the above friendship characteristics, it is promising that they still fall within the average range for the number of corroborated friendships and they demonstrate adequate stability in their friendships. © 2012 SAGE Publications.

Stimulant medications for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) improve memory of emotional stimuli in ADHD-diagnosed college students.

PubMed

Maul, J; Advokat, C

2013-04-01

Stimulant medications do not improve the academic achievement of ADHD diagnosed undergraduates. One reason may be that stimulant-induced sympathetic arousal might impair memory. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a study between September 2011 and March 2012, to compare medicated (n=12) and non-medicated (n=11) ADHD diagnosed undergraduates, with non-ADHD students (n=12). All participants were presented with an audiovisual narrative that included an emotional segment, and answered questions about the story one week later. All groups remembered the emotional segment significantly better than the neutral segments. Non-medicated ADHD students recalled less of both segments than the medicated ADHD or non-ADHD groups, which did not differ from each other. Stimulants improved memory in ADHD students, and did not impair the relative retention of emotional, as opposed to neutral information. Stimulant-induced arousal cannot explain the academic deficit of ADHD undergraduates. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparison of spatial working memory in children with prenatal alcohol exposure and those diagnosed with ADHD; A functional magnetic resonance imaging study

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Alcohol related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND) falls under the umbrella of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), but individuals do not demonstrate the facial characteristics associated with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), making diagnosis difficult. While attentional problems in ARND are similar to those found in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the underlying impairment in attention pathways may be different. Methods Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of a working memory (1-back) task of 63 children, 10 to 14 years old, diagnosed with ARND and ADHD, as well as typically developing (TD) controls, was conducted at 3 T. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data were also acquired. Results Activations were observed in posterior parietal and occipital regions in the TD group and in dorsolateral prefrontal and posterior parietal regions in the ARND group, whereas the ADHD group activated only dorsolateral prefrontal regions, during the working memory component of the task (1-back minus 0-back contrast). The increases in frontal and parietal activity were significantly greater in the ARND group compared to the other groups. This increased activity was associated with reduced accuracy and increased response time variability, suggesting that ARND subjects exert greater effort to manage short-term memory load. Significantly greater intra-subject variability, demonstrated by fMRI region-of-interest analysis, in the ADHD and ARND groups compared to the TD group suggests that moment-to-moment lapses in attention contributed to their poorer task performance. Differences in functional activity in ARND subjects with and without a diagnosis of ADHD resulted primarily from reduced activation by the ARND/ADHD + group during the 0-back task. In contrast, children with ADHD alone clearly showed reduced activations during the 1-back task. DTI analysis revealed that the TD group had significantly higher total tract volume and number of fibers

Distinct dimensions defining the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale: Implications for assessing inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive symptoms.

PubMed

Stanton, Kasey; Forbes, Miriam K; Zimmerman, Mark

2018-06-07

There has been growing interest in studying attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adulthood as a result of research indicating that ADHD often persists into adulthood and frequently is comorbid with other psychiatric disorders. Adult ADHD symptoms are most commonly assessed via self-report, but prior research examining the structure of self-reported adult ADHD symptoms has yielded discrepant results. Explicating the factor structure of ADHD symptom measures is essential to determine if such self-report measures assess symptom dimensions showing distinctive relations with other psychopathology and psychosocial functioning. Consequently, we examined the structure of adult ADHD symptoms in a large sample of adult outpatients (N = 1,094). Symptoms were assessed via the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS; Kessler et al., 2005), which has become the most widely used self-report ADHD measure. Additionally, we extended prior research by examining the relations for emergent ADHD dimensions with other psychopathology and psychosocial impairment. Results indicated that the ASRS's items define a bifactor structure with specific dimensions of inattentiveness, motor hyperactivity/impulsivity, and verbal hyperactivity/impulsivity. Our results indicate that specific ADHD factors show distinctive relations in some ways. For example, verbal hyperactivity/impulsivity showed negative relations with major depressive disorder, whereas inattentiveness showed positive relations with major depression. These results highlight the need for future research determining the extent to which making distinctions among various ADHD symptom types (i.e., distinguishing motor and verbal hyperactivity/impulsivity) is empirically warranted and clinically useful. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

A situation-specific approach to measure attention in adults with ADHD: The everyday life attention scale (ELAS).

PubMed

Groen, Yvonne; Fuermaier, Anselm B M; Tucha, Lara; Weisbrod, Matthias; Aschenbrenner, Steffen; Tucha, Oliver

2018-03-14

This study describes the development and utility of a new self-report measure of attentional capacities of adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): the Everyday Life Attention Scale (ELAS). Different from previous attention scales, attentional capacities are rated for nine everyday situations. Study 1 investigated the factor structure, validity, and reliability of the ELAS in 1206 healthy participants. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a situation-specific approach which categorizes everyday attention into nine situation scales: Reading, Movie, Activity, Lecture, Conversation, Assignment, Cooking, Cleaning up, and Driving. Each scale was composed of ratings for sustained, focused, selective, and divided attention as well as motivation, and had good internal consistency. Most scales showed weak correlations with ADHD Symptoms, Executive Functioning, and Memory Efficacy. Study 2 further investigated the sensitivity of the ELAS in 80 adults with ADHD compared to matched healthy controls and a mixed clinical group of 56 patients diagnosed with other psychiatric disorders. Compared to healthy controls, patients with ADHD reported reduced attentional capacities with large effect sizes on all situation scales and had a substantially higher number of situations with impaired attention scores. The ELAS may become useful in the clinical evaluation of ADHD and related psychiatric disorders in adults.

A longitudinal twin study of the direction of effects between ADHD symptoms and IQ.

PubMed

Rommel, Anna Sophie; Rijsdijk, Frühling; Greven, Corina U; Asherson, Philip; Kuntsi, Jonna

2015-01-01

While the negative association between ADHD symptoms and IQ is well documented, our knowledge about the direction and aetiology of this association is limited. Here, we examine the association of ADHD symptoms with verbal and performance IQ longitudinally in a population-based sample of twins. In a population-based sample of 4,771 twin pairs, DSM-IV ADHD symptoms were obtained from the Conners' Parent Rating Scale-Revised. Verbal (vocabulary) and performance (Raven's Progressive Matrices) IQ were assessed online. ADHD symptom ratings and IQ scores were obtained at ages 12, 14 and 16 years. Making use of the genetic sensitivity and time-ordered nature of our data, we use a cross-lagged model to examine the direction of effects, while modelling the aetiologies of the association between ADHD symptoms with vocabulary and Raven's scores over time. Although time-specific aetiological influences emerged for each trait at ages 14 and 16 years, the aetiological factors involved in the association between ADHD symptoms and IQ were stable over time. ADHD symptoms and IQ scores significantly predicted each other over time. ADHD symptoms at age 12 years were a significantly stronger predictor of vocabulary and Raven's scores at age 14 years than vice versa, whereas no differential predictive effects emerged from age 14 to 16 years. The results suggest that ADHD symptoms may put adolescents at risk for decreased IQ scores. Persistent genetic influences seem to underlie the association of ADHD symptoms and IQ over time. Early intervention is likely to be key to reducing ADHD symptoms and the associated risk for lower IQ.

The identification and management of ADHD offenders within the criminal justice system: a consensus statement from the UK Adult ADHD Network and criminal justice agencies

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

The UK Adult ADHD Network (UKAAN) was founded by a group of mental health specialists who have experience delivering clinical services for adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) within the National Health Service (NHS). UKAAN aims to support mental health professionals in the development of services for adults with ADHD by the promotion of assessment and treatment protocols. One method of achieving these aims has been to sponsor conferences and workshops on adult ADHD. This consensus statement is the result of a Forensic Meeting held in November 2009, attended by senior representatives of the Department of Health (DoH), Forensic Mental Health, Prison, Probation, Courts and Metropolitan Police services. The objectives of the meeting were to discuss ways of raising awareness about adult ADHD, and its recognition, assessment, treatment and management within these respective services. Whilst the document draws on the UK experience, with some adaptations it can be used as a template for similar local actions in other countries. It was concluded that bringing together experts in adult ADHD and the Criminal Justice System (CJS) will be vital to raising awareness of the needs of ADHD offenders at every stage of the offender pathway. Joint working and commissioning within the CJS is needed to improve awareness and understanding of ADHD offenders to ensure that individuals are directed to appropriate care and rehabilitation. General Practitioners (GPs), whilst ideally placed for early intervention, should not be relied upon to provide this service as vulnerable offenders often have difficulty accessing primary care services. Moreover once this hurdle has been overcome and ADHD in offenders has been identified, a second challenge will be to provide treatment and ensure continuity of care. Future research must focus on proof of principle studies to demonstrate that identification and treatment confers health gain, safeguards individual's rights, improves

ADHD latent class clusters: DSM-IV subtypes and comorbidity

PubMed Central

Elia, Josephine; Arcos-Burgos, Mauricio; Bolton, Kelly L.; Ambrosini, Paul J.; Berrettini, Wade; Muenke, Maximilian

2014-01-01

ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) has a complex, heterogeneous phenotype only partially captured by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) criteria. In this report, latent class analyses (LCA) are used to identify ADHD phenotypes using K-SADS-IVR (Schedule for Affective Disorders & Schizophrenia for School Age Children-IV-Revised) symptoms and symptom severity data from a clinical sample of 500 ADHD subjects, ages 6–18, participating in an ADHD genetic study. Results show that LCA identified six separate ADHD clusters, some corresponding to specific DSM-IV subtypes while others included several subtypes. DSM-IV comorbid anxiety and mood disorders were generally similar across all clusters, and subjects without comorbidity did not aggregate within any one cluster. Age and gender composition also varied. These results support findings from population-based LCA studies. The six clusters provide additional homogenous groups that can be used to define ADHD phenotypes in genetic association studies. The limited age ranges aggregating in the different clusters may prove to be a particular advantage in genetic studies where candidate gene expression may vary during developmental phases. DSM-IV comorbid mood and anxiety disorders also do not appear to increase cluster heterogeneity; however, longitudinal studies that cover period of risk are needed to support this finding. PMID:19900717

Decision-making in social contexts in youth with ADHD.

PubMed

Ma, Ili; Lambregts-Rommelse, Nanda N J; Buitelaar, Jan K; Cillessen, Antonius H N; Scheres, Anouk P J

2017-03-01

This study examined reward-related decision-making in children and adolescents with ADHD in a social context, using economic games. We furthermore examined the role of individual differences in reward-related decision-making, specifically, the roles of reward sensitivity and prosocial skills. Children and adolescents (9-17 years) with ADHD-combined subtype (n = 29; 20 boys) and healthy controls (n = 38; 20 boys) completed the ultimatum game and dictator game as measures of reward-related decision-making in social contexts. Prosocial skills were measured with the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. The ADHD group had a larger discrepancy between ultimatum game and dictator game offers than controls, indicating strategic rather than fairness driven decisions. This finding was supported by self-reports showing fewer individuals with ADHD than controls who considered fairness as motive for the decisions. Perspective taking or empathic concern did not differ between groups and was not significantly associated with offers. In conclusion, the results suggest that rather than a failure to understand the perspective of others, children and adolescents with ADHD were less motivated by fairness than controls in simple social situations. Results encourage the use of economic games in ADHD research.

[Noninvasive cerebral stimulation for treatment of ADHD: A review of the literature].

PubMed

Brandejsky, L; Micoulaud Franchi, J-A; Lopez, R; Bioulac, S; Da Fonseca, D; Daudet, C; Boyer, L; Richieri, R; Lançon, C

2017-10-01

The aim of this review is to summarize the available data in the literature about the therapeutic applications of transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The scientific literature search of international articles was performed in February 2016 using the PubMed electronic database. The following MeSH terms were employed: "attention-deficit disorder with hyperactivity" AND "transcranial magnetic stimulation", "attention-deficit disorder with hyperactivity" AND "transcranial direct current stimulation". Five studies were retained by the literature search and were included in the review about rTMS and ADHD. Except for one study, they all showed significant positive effects of rTMS on ADHD. Four studies were retained by the literature search and were included in the review about tDCS and ADHD. Three of them showed significant positive effects of tDCS on ADHD. Two of them used tDCS during sleep at a frequency<1Hz. Only low-level evidences are available to support treatment with rTMS or tDCS in patients with ADHD. Indeed, randomized controlled trials are rare in this field of research. Additional studies are needed to confirm the efficacy of rTMS and tDCS in ADHD. rTMS could be used as an alternative therapy when methylphenidate is not well tolerated or shows an insufficient efficacy. Nevertheless, the optimal target, frequency and duration remain to be determined. tDCS can modulate attention in healthy subjects but data are insufficient in ADHD to conclude. It could be interesting to study its use in association with cognitive remediation to enhance its cognitive efficacy. Copyright © 2016 L’Encéphale, Paris. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

The Romantic Relationships of Adolescents With ADHD.

PubMed

Rokeach, Alan; Wiener, Judith

2018-01-01

This study compared the romantic relationships of adolescents with and without ADHD with regard to romantic involvement, relationship content, and relationship quality. A community sample of 58 participants (30 ADHD, 28 Comparison), ages 13 to 18, completed questionnaires assessing various features of romantic relationships. Adolescents with ADHD reported having more romantic partners than their typically developing (TD) peers. Females with ADHD were found to have shorter romantic relationships than TD adolescents while males with ADHD reported their age of first intercourse to be nearly 2 years sooner than TD peers. Irrespective of gender, adolescents with ADHD had nearly double the number of lifetime sexual partners. However, the romantic relationships of adolescents with and without ADHD did not differ on levels of aggression or relationship quality. Given the outcomes associated with poor-quality romantic relationships, comprehensive assessments of adolescents with ADHD should include queries into their romantic relationships.

Adult Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

MedlinePlus

Adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Overview Adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a mental health disorder that ... combination of persistent problems, such as difficulty paying attention, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior. Adult ADHD can lead ...

Cardiac Reactivity and Stimulant Use in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders with Comorbid ADHD Versus ADHD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bink, M.; Popma, A.; Bongers, I. L.; van Boxtel, G. J. M.; Denissen, A.; van Nieuwenhuizen, Ch.

2015-01-01

A large number of youngsters with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) display comorbid attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. However, previous studies are not conclusive whether psychophysiological correlates, like cardiac reactivity, are different for ASD with comorbid ADHD (ASD+) compared to ADHD. Therefore, the current study…

Evaluating Dopamine Reward Pathway in ADHD

PubMed Central

Volkow, Nora D.; Wang, Gene-Jack; Kollins, Scott H.; Wigal, Tim L.; Newcorn, Jeffrey H.; Telang, Frank; Fowler, Joanna S.; Zhu, Wei; Logan, Jean; Ma, Yeming; Pradhan, Kith; Wong, Christopher; Swanson, James M.

2010-01-01

Context Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)—characterized by symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity—is the most prevalent childhood psychiatric disorder that frequently persists into adulthood, and there is increasing evidence of reward-motivation deficits in this disorder. Objective To evaluate biological bases that might underlie a reward/motivation deficit by imaging key components of the brain dopamine reward pathway (mesoaccumbens). Design, Setting, and Participants We used positron emission tomography to measure dopamine synaptic markers (transporters and D2/D3 receptors) in 53 nonmedicated adults with ADHD and 44 healthy controls between 2001–2009 at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Main Outcome Measures We measured specific binding of positron emission tomographic radioligands for dopamine transporters (DAT) using [11C]cocaine and for D2/D3 receptors using [11C]raclopride, quantified as binding potential (distribution volume ratio −1). Results For both ligands, statistical parametric mapping showed that specific binding was lower in ADHD than in controls (threshold for significance set at P<.005) in regions of the dopamine reward pathway in the left side of the brain. Region-of-interest analyses corroborated these findings. The mean (95% confidence interval [CI] of mean difference) for DAT in the nucleus accumbens for controls was 0.71 vs 0.63 for those with ADHD (95% CI, 0.03–0.13, P=.004) and in the midbrain for controls was 0.16 vs 0.09 for those with ADHD (95% CI, 0.03–0.12; P ≤ .001); for D2/D3 receptors, the mean accumbens for controls was 2.85 vs 2.68 for those with ADHD (95% CI, 0.06–0.30, P=.004); and in the midbrain, it was for controls 0.28 vs 0.18 for those with ADHD (95% CI, 0.02–0.17, P=.01). The analysis also corroborated differences in the left caudate: the mean DAT for controls was 0.66 vs 0.53 for those with ADHD (95% CI, 0.04–0.22; P=.003) and the mean D2/D3 for controls was 2.80 vs 2.47 for

Cross-cultural reliability and validity of ADHD assessed by the ADHD Rating Scale in a pan-European study.

PubMed

Döpfner, Manfred; Steinhausen, Hans-Christoph; Coghill, David; Dalsgaard, Søren; Poole, Lynne; Ralston, Stephen J; Rothenberger, Aribert

2006-12-01

To provide psychometric information on the Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Rating Scale-IV (ADHD-RS-IV) in a large population of children with ADHD. Patients aged 6-18 years (n=1,478 in baseline analysis) were rated by 244 physicians on the ADHD-RS-IV based on a semi-structured interview with the patient's parent. Physicians additionally rated functional impairment (CGAS) and health status (CGI-S), and parents rated their child's behavioural and emotional problems (SDQ) and quality of life (CHIP-CE). Inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity as dimensions of ADHD were replicated. 3-factor solutions reflecting the ICD-10 definition, with hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention as separate dimensions were extracted in some national sub-samples and in separate analyses for boys and younger children.Good internal consistencies, strong country effects and small effects of age were found. Based on ADHD-RS-IV, 88.5% of patients met the criteria for any ADHD diagnosis. Correlations between ADHD-RS-IV and measures of functional impairment were low but statistically significant. The correlations with SDQ and CHIP-CE scales confirm the convergent and divergent validity of ADHD-RS-IV. Impressive evidence for the cross-cultural factorial validity, internal consistency as well as convergent and divergent validity of ADHD-RS-IV was found. ADHD can be assessed reliably and validly in routine care across Europe. The ICD-10 3-factor model seems to be less robust than the DSM-IV 2-factor model, but may be a good description for special populations (boys, younger children).

Improving Interference Control in ADHD Patients with Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)

PubMed Central

Breitling, Carolin; Zaehle, Tino; Dannhauer, Moritz; Bonath, Björn; Tegelbeckers, Jana; Flechtner, Hans-Henning; Krauel, Kerstin

2016-01-01

The use of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been suggested as a promising alternative to psychopharmacological treatment approaches due to its local and network effects on brain activation. In the current study, we investigated the impact of tDCS over the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG) on interference control in 21 male adolescents with ADHD and 21 age matched healthy controls aged 13–17 years, who underwent three separate sessions of tDCS (anodal, cathodal, and sham) while completing a Flanker task. Even though anodal stimulation appeared to diminish commission errors in the ADHD group, the overall analysis revealed no significant effect of tDCS. Since participants showed a considerable learning effect from the first to the second session, performance in the first session was separately analyzed. ADHD patients receiving sham stimulation in the first session showed impaired interference control compared to healthy control participants whereas ADHD patients who were exposed to anodal stimulation, showed comparable performance levels (commission errors, reaction time variability) to the control group. These results suggest that anodal tDCS of the right inferior frontal gyrus could improve interference control in patients with ADHD. PMID:27147964

An Ultraconserved Brain-specific Enhancer within ADGRL3 (LPHN3) Underpins ADHD Susceptibility

PubMed Central

Martinez, Ariel F.; Abe, Yu; Hong, Sungkook; Molyneux, Kevin; Yarnell, David; Löhr, Heiko; Driever, Wolfgang; Acosta, Maria T.; Arcos-Burgos, Mauricio; Muenke, Maximilian

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND Genetic factors predispose to attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Previous studies have reported linkage and association to ADHD of gene variants within ADGRL3. In this study, we functionally analyzed non-coding variants in this gene as likely pathological contributors. METHODS In silico, in vitro and in vivo approaches were used to identify and characterize evolutionary conserved elements within the ADGRL3 linkage region (~207 Kb). Family-based genetic analyses on 838 individuals (372 affected and 466 unaffected) identified ADHD-associated SNPs harbored in some of these conserved elements. Luciferase assays and zebrafish GFP transgenesis tested conserved elements for transcriptional enhancer activity. Electromobility shift assays were used to verify transcription factor binding disruption by ADHD risk alleles. RESULTS An ultraconserved element was discovered (ECR47) that functions as a transcriptional enhancer. A three-variant ADHD risk haplotype in ECR47, formed by rs17226398, rs56038622 and rs2271338, reduced enhancer activity by 40% in neuroblastoma and astrocytoma cells (PBonferroni<0.0001). This enhancer also drove GFP expression in the zebrafish brain in a tissue-specific manner, sharing aspects of endogenous ADGRL3 expression. The rs2271338 risk allele disrupts binding of YY1, an important factor in the development and function of the central nervous system. Expression quantitative trait loci analysis of post-mortem human brain tissues revealed an association between rs2271338 and reduced ADGRL3 expression in the thalamus. CONCLUSIONS These results uncover the first functional evidence of common non-coding variants with potential implications for the pathology of ADHD. PMID:27692237

Substance use disorder and ADHD: is ADHD a particularly "specific" risk factor?

PubMed

Kousha, Maryam; Shahrivar, Zahra; Alaghband-Rad, Javad

2012-05-01

To assess the pattern of substance use disorder (SUD) in adolescents with and without history of attention - deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) using an Iranian sample in the context of a cultural background and drug availability is differing from Western countries. In this case- control study, the participants were interviewed by a child psychiatrist and the measures included: kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorder and Schizophrenia for school age children (K-SADS), Opium Treatment Index (OTI) and Global Assessment Functioning (GAF). Data were analyzed with chi square test and T test and fisher exact test by EPI.6 soft ware. Adolescents with ADHD were younger at the time of starting cigarette smoking, substance use, abuse and dependency (p = 0.0001), a shorter period between their first-time substance use and substance dependence or abuse (p = 0.0001), more severe substance use (for cannabis, heroine, cigarette and drugs such as benzodiazepines p < 0.05) and more functional impairment (p = 0.0007). Average number of co morbid disorders were higher in ADHD group. (p = 0.03) Although the pattern and type of substance use may be different in Iranian culture, our findings about the relationship between ADHD and SUD are similar to other western and non western countries. The presence of ADHD may over-ride cultural barriers and lower availability of drugs to the development of SUD in Iranian adolescents. Early diagnosis and treatment of ADHD may propose with better prognosis of SUD and subsequent decrease in the prevalence of SUD and the costs of SUD-related pathology in this population.

Depression and Anxiety among Transitioning Adolescents and College Students with ADHD, Dyslexia, or Comorbid ADHD/Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Jason M.; Gregg, Noel

2012-01-01

Objective: To investigate depressive and anxious symptomatology among transitioning adolescents and college students with ADHD, dyslexia, or comorbid ADHD/dyslexia. Method: Transitioning adolescents and college students with these disorders along with a non-ADHD/dyslexia college sample completed self-report measures of depression and anxiety.…

ADHD knowledge, misconceptions, and treatment acceptability.

PubMed

Sciutto, Mark J

2015-02-01

Despite the availability of several effective treatments, many children with ADHD do not receive adequate services. A variety of factors may influence help-seeking behavior among families of children with ADHD. This study explores two factors that may influence help-seeking decisions: knowledge and misconceptions of ADHD and treatment acceptability. A total of 196 participants completed measures of ADHD knowledge and use of information sources prior to rating the acceptability of two interventions: stimulant medication and sugar elimination diets. Higher levels of ADHD misconceptions were associated with lower acceptance of medication and higher acceptance of dietary interventions. However, analysis of individual misconceptions suggests that specific misconceptions are differentially related to perceptions of individual treatments. It may be important for clinicians to assess and deliberately target specific misconceptions as part of treatment for ADHD. © 2013 SAGE Publications.

Brief Report: Clusters and Trajectories Across the Autism and/or ADHD Spectrum.

PubMed

LaBianca, S; Pagsberg, A K; Jakobsen, K D; Demur, A B; Bartalan, M; LaBianca, J; Werge, T

2018-06-07

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) frequently co-occur and show high genetic correlation. With the introduction of DSM-5, there is a new concept of an ASD and/or ADHD spectrum (ASD/ADHD). This study aimed to identify predictors of severity and need of healthcare within this spectrum. 39 families with multiple individuals affected by ASD/ADHD were recruited from a psychiatric clinic. Diagnoses, functional and demographic characteristics were retrieved from journals while hospital admissions were identified in the Danish health register. An estimated fraction of 31% ASD/ADHD patients had never been hospitalized and 35% remained undiagnosed despite hospitalization. Cluster analysis identified trajectories that discriminate age of diagnosis, educational attainment to degree of severity, need of hospitalization and genetic risk.

The effect of methylphenidate on very low frequency electroencephalography oscillations in adult ADHD.

PubMed

Cooper, Ruth E; Skirrow, Caroline; Tye, Charlotte; McLoughlin, Grainne; Rijsdijk, Fruhling; Banaschweski, Tobias; Brandeis, Daniel; Kuntsi, Jonna; Asherson, Philip

2014-04-01

Altered very low-frequency electroencephalographic (VLF-EEG) activity is an endophenotype of ADHD in children and adolescents. We investigated VLF-EEG case-control differences in adult samples and the effects of methylphenidate (MPH). A longitudinal case-control study was conducted examining the effects of MPH on VLF-EEG (.02-0.2Hz) during a cued continuous performance task. 41 untreated adults with ADHD and 47 controls were assessed, and 21 cases followed up after MPH treatment, with a similar follow-up for 38 controls (mean follow-up=9.4months). Cases had enhanced frontal and parietal VLF-EEG and increased omission errors. In the whole sample, increased parietal VLF-EEG correlated with increased omission errors. After controlling for subthreshold comorbid symptoms, VLF-EEG case-control differences and treatment effects remained. Post-treatment, a time by group interaction emerged; VLF-EEG and omission errors reduced to the same level as controls, with decreased inattentive symptoms in cases. Reduced VLF-EEG following MPH treatment provides preliminary evidence that changes in VLF-EEG may relate to MPH treatment effects on ADHD symptoms; and that VLF-EEG may be an intermediate phenotype of ADHD. Further studies of the treatment effect of MPH in larger controlled studies are required to formally evaluate any causal link between MPH, VLF-EEG and ADHD symptoms. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Factors associated with caregiver burden among pharmacotherapy-treated children/adolescents with ADHD in the Caregiver Perspective on Pediatric ADHD survey in Europe.

PubMed

Fridman, Moshe; Banaschewski, Tobias; Sikirica, Vanja; Quintero, Javier; Erder, M Haim; Chen, Kristina S

2017-01-01

Burden on caregivers of children/adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is multidimensional, but incompletely understood. To analyze caregiver burden across the concepts of work, social/family life, and parental worry/stress, in relation to selected contributing factors. The online Caregiver Perspective on Pediatric ADHD survey was fielded in ten European countries. Analysis included children/adolescents (6-17 years) who were receiving/had received ADHD pharmacotherapy in the previous 6 months. Caregivers recorded their child's/adolescent's symptoms "on"/"off" medication (ie, when the caregiver reported that the child/adolescent forgot/chose not to take medication, before the onset of medication effect, or medication worn off). Effects of ADHD severity, comorbidities, and medication adherence on each burden outcome were assessed (multiple regression models). In total, 2,326 caregivers were included (children/adolescents' mean age: 11.5 years, 80% male). Caregivers reported missed/altered work, avoiding social activity, increased parental worry/stress, and strain on family life, despite using ADHD pharmacotherapy. Child/adolescent comorbidities and ADHD severity were significantly related to all burden concepts measured; the strongest comorbidity associations were with altered work (odds ratios [ORs] =1.68 [95% confidence interval {CI} 1.33, 2.12], 1.87 [1.37, 2.54], 3.47 [2.51, 4.78] for 1, 2, 3+ comorbidities, respectively) and planning the day around the child/adolescent (OR =1.42 [95% CI 1.17, 1.72], 1.73 [1.33, 2.15], 2.65 [1.99, 3.53]); the strongest severity associations were: quitting a job (OR =1.41 [95% CI 1.26, 1.59]) and planning a day around the child/adolescent (OR =1.26 [95% CI 1.20, 1.32]). Increased medication adherence was most associated with reducing the caregiver burden for altered work (OR =0.57 [95% CI 0.45, 0.72]), worrying about how they are being perceived as a parent (OR =0.68 [0.56, 0.83]), and avoiding social

Inhibition, flexibility, working memory and planning in autism spectrum disorders with and without comorbid ADHD-symptoms

PubMed Central

Sinzig, Judith; Morsch, Dagmar; Bruning, Nicole; Schmidt, Martin H; Lehmkuhl, Gerd

2008-01-01

Background Recent studies have not paid a great deal of attention to comorbid attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in autistic children even though it is well known that almost half of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) suffer from hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity. The goal of this study was to evaluate and compare executive functioning (EF) profiles in children with ADHD and in children with ASD with and without comorbid ADHD. Methods Children aged 6 to 18 years old with ADHD (n = 20) or ASD (High-Functioning autism or Asperger syndrome) with (n = 20) and without (n = 20) comorbid ADHD and a typically developing group (n = 20) were compared on a battery of EF tasks comprising inhibition, flexibility, working memory and planning tasks. A MANOVA, effect sizes as well as correlations between ADHD-symptomatology and EF performance were calculated. Age- and IQ-corrected z scores were used. Results There was a significant effect for the factor group (F = 1.55; dF = 42; p = .02). Post-hoc analysis revealed significant differences between the ADHD and the TD group on the inhibition task for false alarms (p = .01) and between the ADHD group, the ASD+ group (p = .03), the ASD- group (p = .02) and the TD group (p = .01) for omissions. Effect sizes showed clear deficits of ADHD children in inhibition and working memory tasks. Participants with ASD were impaired in planning and flexibility abilities. The ASD+ group showed compared to the ASD- group more problems in inhibitory performance but not in the working memory task. Conclusion Our findings replicate previous results reporting impairment of ADHD children in inhibition and working memory tasks and of ASD children in planning and flexibility abilities. The ASD + group showed similarities to the ADHD group with regard to inhibitory but not to working memory deficits. Nevertheless the heterogeneity of these and previous results shows that EF assessment is not useful for differential

Risk of unintentional injuries in children and adolescents with ADHD and the impact of ADHD medications: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Ruiz-Goikoetxea, Maite; Cortese, Samuele; Aznarez-Sanado, Maite; Magallon, Sara; Luis, Elkin O; Álvarez Zallo, Noelia; Castro-Manglano, Pilar de; Soutullo, Cesar; Arrondo, Gonzalo

2017-09-25

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been related to increased rates of unintentional injuries. However, the magnitude of the effect and to which extent variables such as sex, age or comorbidity can influence this relationship is unknown. Additionally, and importantly, it is unclear if, and to which degree, ADHD medications can decrease the number of unintentional injuries. Due to the amount of economic and social resources invested in the treatment of injuries, filling these gaps in the literature is highly relevant from a public health standpoint. Here, we present a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the relationship between ADHD and unintentional injuries and assess the impact of pharmacological treatment for ADHD METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We will combine results from 114 bibliographic databases for studies relating ADHD and risk of injuries. Bibliographic searches and data extraction will be carried out independently by two researchers. The studies' risk of bias will be assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Articles reporting ORs or HRs of suffering an injury in ADHD compared with controls (or enough data to calculate them) will be combined using Robust Variance Estimation, a method that permits to include multiple non-independent outcomes in the analysis. All analyses will be carried out in Stata. Age, sex and comorbid conduct disorders will be considered as potential causes of variance and their effect analysed through meta-regression and subgroup analysis. Sensitivity analyses will exclude articles with longer follow-ups, non-stringent definitions of ADHD or controls and statistically uncontrolled/controlled outcomes. Studies implementing a self-controlled case series methodology to investigate if ADHD drugs reduce the risk of injuries will be combined with a generalised linear mixed model using the Poisson distribution and a log link function. PROSPERO-Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (CRD42017064967). �

Consequences of ADHD medication use for children's outcomes.

PubMed

Dalsgaard, Søren; Nielsen, Helena Skyt; Simonsen, Marianne

2014-09-01

This paper estimates effects of early ADHD medication use on key human capital outcomes for children diagnosed with ADHD while using rarely available register based data on diagnoses and prescription drug purchases. Our main identification strategy exploits plausible exogenous assignment of children to hospitals with specialist physicians, while our analysis of health outcomes also allows for an individual level panel data strategy. We find that the behavior of specialist physicians varies considerably across hospitals and that the prescribing behavior does affect the probability that a given child is treated. Results show that children diagnosed with ADHD in pharmacological treatment have fewer hospital contacts if treated and that treatment to some extent protects against criminal behavior. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Perceived Family Climate and Self-Esteem in Adolescents With ADHD: A Study With a Control Group.

PubMed

Uçar, Halit Necmi; Eray, Şafak; Vural, Ayşe Pınar; Kocael, Ömer

2017-04-01

In this study, our objective is to assess the perception of family environments by adolescents with ADHD based on perceived expressed emotion (EE) and the self-esteem of the adolescents. Uludag University Medical Faculty Hospital completed this study with 41 adolescents with ADHD and 35 control group participants who were matched based on age and gender. The total scores of perceived EE, described as a lack of emotional support, irritability, and intrusiveness, were significantly higher in ADHD group than in the control group. The group with ADHD also showed significantly lower self-esteem. There was a negative correlation between self-esteem scores and total perceived EE scores in the ADHD group and the control group. This study showed that the adolescents with ADHD perceive less emotional support and higher levels of intrusiveness, with patients also describing their families as more irritating. Other results in this study show that adolescents with less emotional support possess lower self-esteem, as do adolescents with more irritable parents.

Associated factors with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): a case-control study.

PubMed

Malek, Ayyoub; Amiri, Shahrokh; Sadegfard, Majid; Abdi, Salman; Amini, Saeedeh

2012-09-01

The current study attempted to investigate factors associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children without co-morbidities. In this case-control study, 164 ADHD children who attended the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran were compared with 166 normal children selected in a random-cluster method from primary and secondary schools. Clinical interviews based on DSM-IV-TR using K-SADS were used to diagnose ADHD cases and to select the control group. Participants were matched for age. We used chi-square and binary logistic regression for data analysis. Among the associated factors with ADHD were gender and maternal employment. Boys (OR 0.54; 95% confidence interval: 0.34 - 0.86) and those children with working mothers (OR 0.16: 95% confidence interval: 0.06 - 0.86) suffered more from ADHD. The birth season, family size, birth order, and parental kinship were not among risk factors for ADHD. The results of the study show that maternal employment and male gender are among the associated risk factors for ADHD.

Child/Adolescent’s ADHD and Parenting Stress: The Mediating Role of Family Impact and Conduct Problems

PubMed Central

Muñoz-Silva, Alicia; Lago-Urbano, Rocio; Sanchez-Garcia, Manuel; Carmona-Márquez, José

2017-01-01

Objective: The demands of parenting are usually associated with some stress, and elevated levels of stress may affect the parent–child relationships and parenting practices. This is especially the case of families where children have special needs conditions or disorders, like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Method: This study examined parenting stress among mothers of children and adolescents with ADHD. The sample comprised 126 mothers of girls (36; 29%) and boys (90; 71%) aged 6–17 years old. Results: Mothers reported their own stress levels as well as the children and adolescents’ variables (severity of their ADHD symptoms, conduct, and emotional problems) and family–contextual variables (negative impact on family’s social life, impact on couple relationship, and perceived social support). Hierarchical multiple regression showed that (a) negative impact on social life and conduct problems were the strongest predictors of mother’s stress. Bootstrap mediation analyses revealed that (b) the association between child and adolescent’s ADHD and parenting stress was mediated by children’s conduct problems and by negative impact on family’s social life, and not by children’s emotional problems nor by mother’s perceived social support. The mediation analysis also suggested (c) a pathway from child/adolescent’s ADHD through children’s conduct problems and then through their negative impact on family’s social life to mother’s parenting stress. Conclusion: These results suggest that both child/adolescent’s and family factors should be considered in the designing of interventions for reducing parenting stress in families of children and adolescents with ADHD. PMID:29312090

ADHD and Writing Learning Disabilities: Overlapping Disorders and Educational Implications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodríguez, Celestino; Areces, Débora; García, Trinidad; Cueli, Marisol; Loew, Stephen J.; González-Castro, Paloma

2015-01-01

In this review, we discuss the historic evolution of ADHD research up until the present, and explain the actual theoretical models of writing in relation to ADHD and attention. Given the characterization of writing as a recursive process, and in order to show its relationship with attention disorders, examples of applicable writing models are also…

Treatment Response in CP/ADHD Children with Callous/Unemotional Traits

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haas, Sarah M.; Waschbusch, Daniel A.; Pelham, William E.; King, Sara; Andrade, Brendan F.; Carrey, Normand J.

2011-01-01

The current study examines the role of callous/unemotional (CU) traits in response to treatment among children with conduct problems (CP) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Fifty-four children with CP/ADHD and 16 controls (age = 9.48, SD = 1.58) took part in a summer treatment and research program. Simple correlations showed that…

[ADH/D and impulsiveness: Prevalence of impulse control disorders and other comorbidities, in 81 adults with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADH/D)].

PubMed

Porteret, R; Bouchez, J; Baylé, F J; Varescon, I

2016-04-01

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADH/D) is a neuropsychological developmental disorder characterized by pervasive and impairing symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Whereas it is well known in children, there is still little information about ADH/D in adults, including prevalence. Indeed, there are actually no epidemiological studies in France, despite the considerable impact of this disorder in a patient's professional and affective life. Moreover, ADH/D rarely stays isolated, and many comorbidities often complicate the diagnostic investigation. It is well known that the so-called ADH/D is composed of two main categories of symptoms (Attentional Disorder/Hyperactiviy Disorder), but Impulsiveness also remains a major symptom. The aim of this study was to evaluate not only the prevalence of Impulse Control Disorders (ICD) but also psychological and addictive comorbidities among adult patients with ADH/D. A total of 100 patients from specialized consultations of adult ADH/D were evaluated in this study, but only 81 were included after presenting all the clinical criteria of ADH/D. We used the DSM IV-T-R for ADH/D, the Minnesota Impulsive Disorders Interview a semi-structured clinical interview assessing impulse control disorders (ICD) (compulsive buying, trichotillomania, compulsive sexual behaviour, kleptomania, pyromania and intermittent explosive disorder), and the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview in order to evaluate psychiatric and addictive comorbidities. More than 90 % of the patients met the early apparition criteria of ADH/D (before 7years). More than half of the patients presented a mixed type of ADH/D (both inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive forms): 55.6 % vs 44.4 % for the inattentive type. The vast majority of patients showed a complete form (with a total of 6 or more symptoms out of 9, of inattentive and/or impulsive-hyperactivity category): 93.8 % and only 6.2 % presented a sub-syndromic form of ADH/D (with

What is the evidence of impaired motor skills and motor control among children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)? Systematic review of the literature.

PubMed

Kaiser, M-L; Schoemaker, M M; Albaret, J-M; Geuze, R H

2014-11-06

This article presents a review of the studies that have analysed the motor skills of ADHD children without medication and the influence of medication on their motor skills. The following two questions guided the study: What is the evidence of impairment of motor skills and aspects of motor control among children with ADHD aged between 6 and 16 years? What are the effects of ADHD medication on motor skills and motor control? The following keywords were introduced in the main databases: attention disorder and/or ADHD, motor skills and/or handwriting, children, medication. Of the 45 articles retrieved, 30 described motor skills of children with ADHD and 15 articles analysed the influence of ADHD medication on motor skills and motor control. More than half of the children with ADHD have difficulties with gross and fine motor skills. The children with ADHD inattentive subtype seem to present more impairment of fine motor skills, slow reaction time, and online motor control during complex tasks. The proportion of children with ADHD who improved their motor skills to the normal range by using medication varied from 28% to 67% between studies. The children who still show motor deficit while on medication might meet the diagnostic criteria of developmental coordination disorder (DCD). It is important to assess motor skills among children with ADHD because of the risk of reduced participation in activities of daily living that require motor coordination and attention. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

ADHD symptoms impact smoking outcomes and withdrawal in response to Varenicline treatment for smoking cessation.

PubMed

Bidwell, L Cinnamon; Karoly, Hollis C; Hutchison, Kent E; Bryan, Angela D

2017-10-01

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is associated with nicotine dependence and difficulty quitting smoking. Few cessation trials specifically consider the impact of ADHD on treatment outcomes, including those testing established pharmacological therapies, such as varenicline. The current study focused on the impact of pretreatment ADHD inattention (IN) and hyperactivity-impulsivity (HI) symptoms on treatment outcome in a randomized controlled trial of varenicline [N=205, average age=34.13(10.07), average baseline cigarettes per day=14.71(7.06)]. Given that varenicline's putative therapeutic mechanism is attenuation of withdrawal severity during abstinence, we also tested changes in withdrawal as a mediator of treatment effects in high and low ADHD groups. ADHD symptom severity in this sample was in the subclinical range. Cessation was associated with HI, but not IN, such that high HI individuals on varenicline reported the lowest smoking levels at the end of treatment across all groups (3.06cig/day for high HI vs 4.02cig/day for low HI). Individuals with high HI who received placebo had the highest smoking at the end of treatment (7.69cigs/day for high HI vs 5.56cig/day for low HI). Patterns continued at follow-up. Varenicline significantly reduced withdrawal for those with high HI, but not low HI. However, path models did not support an indirect effect of medication on reducing smoking via withdrawal in either group, suggesting that unmeasured variables are involved in varenicline's effect on reducing smoking. These data add to a gap in the smoking cessation literature regarding the impact of ADHD symptoms on the efficacy and mechanisms of frontline pharmacological treatments. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Learning curves of theta/beta neurofeedback in children with ADHD.

PubMed

Janssen, Tieme W P; Bink, Marleen; Weeda, Wouter D; Geladé, Katleen; van Mourik, Rosa; Maras, Athanasios; Oosterlaan, Jaap

2017-05-01

Neurofeedback is widely applied as non-pharmacological intervention aimed at reducing symptoms of ADHD, even though efficacy has not been unequivocally established. Neuronal changes during the neurofeedback intervention that resemble learning can provide crucial evidence for the feasibility and specificity of this intervention. A total of 38 children (aged between 7 and 13 years) with a DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of ADHD, completed on average 29 sessions of theta (4-8 Hz)/beta (13-20 Hz) neurofeedback training. Dependent variables included training-related measures as well as theta and beta power during baseline and training runs for each session. Learning effects were analyzed both within and between sessions. To further specify findings, individual learning curves were explored and correlated with behavioral changes in ADHD symptoms. Over the course of the training, there was a linear increase in participants' mean training level, highest obtained training level and the number of earned credits (range b = 0.059, -0.750, p < 0.001). Theta remained unchanged over the course of the training, while beta activity increased linearly within training sessions (b = 0.004, 95% CI = [0.0013-0.0067], p = 0.005) and over the course of the intervention (b = 0.0052, 95% CI = [0.0039-0.0065], p < 0.001). In contrast to the group analyses, significant individual learning curves were found for both theta and beta over the course of the intervention in 39 and 53%, respectively. Individual learning curves were not significantly correlated with behavioral changes. This study shows that children with ADHD can gain control over EEG states during neurofeedback, although a lack of behavioral correlates may indicate insufficient transfer to daily functioning, or to confounding reinforcement of electromyographic activity. This trial is registered at the US National Institutes of Health (ClinicalTrials.gov, ref. no: NCT01363544); https://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01363544 .

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and executive functioning in emerging adults.

PubMed

Jarrett, Matthew A

2016-02-01

The current study examined attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety symptoms in relation to self-reported executive functioning deficits in emerging adults. College students (N = 421; ages 17-25; 73.1% female) completed self-reports of ADHD, anxiety, and executive functioning in a laboratory setting. Structural equation modeling analyses revealed that self-reported executive functioning deficits were significantly related to all 3 symptom domains. Executive functioning deficits were most strongly related to inattention followed by hyperactivity/impulsivity and anxiety. Analyses based on clinical groups revealed that groups with ADHD and comorbid anxiety showed greater deficits on self-regulation of emotion and self-organization/problem solving than those with ADHD only or anxiety only. Groups with ADHD showed greater deficits with self-motivation and self-restraint than those with anxiety only. All clinical groups differed from a control group on executive functioning deficits. Overall, anxiety symptoms appear to be associated with college students' self-reported executive functioning deficits above and beyond relationships with ADHD symptomatology. Further, those with ADHD and anxiety appear to show increased difficulties with self-regulation of emotion and self-organization/problem solving, a domain which appears to overlap substantially with working memory. Future studies should seek to replicate our findings with a clinical population, utilize both report-based and laboratory task measures of executive functioning, and integrate both state and trait anxiety indices into study designs. Finally, future studies should seek to determine how executive functioning deficits can be best ameliorated in emerging adults with ADHD and anxiety. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Hemodynamic response of children with attention-deficit and hyperactive disorder (ADHD) to emotional facial expressions.

PubMed

Ichikawa, Hiroko; Nakato, Emi; Kanazawa, So; Shimamura, Keiichi; Sakuta, Yuiko; Sakuta, Ryoichi; Yamaguchi, Masami K; Kakigi, Ryusuke

2014-10-01

Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have difficulty recognizing facial expressions. They identify angry expressions less accurately than typically developing (TD) children, yet little is known about their atypical neural basis for the recognition of facial expressions. Here, we used near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to examine the distinctive cerebral hemodynamics of ADHD and TD children while they viewed happy and angry expressions. We measured the hemodynamic responses of 13 ADHD boys and 13 TD boys to happy and angry expressions at their bilateral temporal areas, which are sensitive to face processing. The ADHD children showed an increased concentration of oxy-Hb for happy faces but not for angry faces, while TD children showed increased oxy-Hb for both faces. Moreover, the individual peak latency of hemodynamic response in the right temporal area showed significantly greater variance in the ADHD group than in the TD group. Such atypical brain activity observed in ADHD boys may relate to their preserved ability to recognize a happy expression and their difficulty recognizing an angry expression. We firstly demonstrated that NIRS can be used to detect atypical hemodynamic response to facial expressions in ADHD children. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Neuropsychological Performance Patterns of Adult ADHD Subtypes.

PubMed

LeRoy, Amy; Jacova, Claudia; Young, Caedy

2018-05-01

Neuropsychological performance patterns associated with adult ADHD subtypes are unknown. The aim of the current systematic review was to identify and synthesize available literature regarding neuropsychological performance associated with adult ADHD subtypes. Searches were completed using the databases PsycINFO and PubMed for studies published before March 2017 addressing adult ADHD subtypes and neuropsychological performance. Data characterizing the neuropsychological tests utilized in each study were obtained and sorted into eight domains. To summarize the results of all comparisons (ADHD subtype compared with control, or to each other), we counted the proportion of tests within each domain with significant group differences. We deemed four domains informative in differentiating ADHD subtypes from controls. Of these, memory was the only domain that held promise in distinguishing ADHD-Inattentive and ADHD-Combined. Limitations of the available literature are highlighted and recommendations for future research are provided.

Comparison of Neuropsychological Functioning Between Adults With Early- and Late-Onset DSM-5 ADHD.

PubMed

Lin, Yu-Ju; Gau, Susan Shur-Fen

2017-09-01

We aimed to compare the visually dependent neuropsychological functioning among adults with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5) ADHD who recalled symptom onset by and after age 7 and non-ADHD controls. We divided the participants, aged 17 to 40 years, into three groups-(a) ADHD, onset <7 years (early-onset, n = 142); (b) ADHD, onset between 7 and <12 years (late-onset, n = 41); (c) non-ADHD controls ( n = 148)-and compared their neuropsychological functioning, measured by the Cambridge Neuropsychological Testing Automated Battery. Both ADHD groups had deficits in attention and signal detectability, spatial working memory, and short-term spatial memory, but only the early-onset group showed deficits in alertness, set-shifting, and planning after controlling for age, sex, and psychiatric comorbidities. There was no statistical difference between the two ADHD groups in neuropsychological functioning. DSM-5 criteria for diagnosing adult ADHD are not too lax regarding neuropsychological functioning.

Family characteristics of anxious ADHD children: preliminary results.

PubMed

Kepley, Hayden O; Ostrander, Rick

2007-02-01

To investigate the family environments of children in a community sample with ADHD and co-occurring anxiety. Family Environment Scale, Behavioral Assessment System for Children, and Structured Clinical Interview are administered to parents of children with ADHD with and without anxiety. ADHD families are uniformly less cohesive and expressive and possess more conflict than families representing the community sample. In contrast to community or nonanxious ADHD families, anxious ADHD families do not encourage independence and tend to be distinctly less assertive, self-sufficient, and autonomous. Although anxious and nonanxious ADHD children tend to have a uniformly high incidence of maternal ADHD, mothers of anxious ADHD children tend to display a much higher incidence of substance/alcohol abuse than either nonanxious or community participants. Findings are consistent with the notion that an insular, dependent, and somewhat controlling family environment characterizes families of children with ADHD and comorbid childhood anxiety.

Event-related wave activity in the EEG provides new marker of ADHD.

PubMed

Alexander, David M; Hermens, Daniel F; Keage, Hannah A D; Clark, C Richard; Williams, Leanne M; Kohn, Michael R; Clarke, Simon D; Lamb, Chris; Gordon, Evian

2008-01-01

This study examines the utility of new measures of event-related spatio-temporal waves in the EEG as a marker of ADHD, previously shown to be closely related to the P3 ERP in an adult sample. Wave activity in the EEG was assessed during both an auditory Oddball and a visual continuous performance task (CPT) for an ADHD group ranging in age from 6 to 18 years and comprising mostly Combined and Inattentive subtypes, and for an age and gender matched control group. The ADHD subjects had less wave activity at low frequencies ( approximately 1 Hz) during both tasks. For auditory Oddball targets, this effect was shown to be related to smaller P3 ERP amplitudes. During CPT, the approximately 1 Hz wave activity in the ADHD subjects was inversely related to clinical and behavioral measures of hyperactivity and impulsivity. CPT wave activity at approximately 1 Hz was seen to "normalise" following treatment with stimulant medication. The results identify a deficit in low frequency wave activity as a new marker for ADHD associated with levels of hyperactivity and impulsivity. The marker is evident across a range of tasks and may be specific to ADHD. While lower approximately 1 Hz activity partly accounts for reduced P3 ERPs in ADHD, the effect also arises for tasks that do not elicit a P3. Deficits in behavioral inhibition are hypothesized to arise from underlying dysregulation of cortical inhibition.

Treatment of ADHD with amphetamine: short-term effects on family interaction.

PubMed

Gustafsson, Peik; Hansson, Kjell; Eidevall, Lena; Thernlund, Gunilla; Svedin, Carl Göran

2008-07-01

This research seeks to study the impact on family function after 3 months of treatment with amphetamine. A total of 43 children, 6 to 11 years of age, with ADHD were treated with amphetamine for 3 months. Family function was studied before and after treatment by parent self-rating and independent observer ratings of videotaped parent-child interactions. The families with a child with ADHD were found to be more dysfunctional than control families. Families with children with severe ADHD behavior showed evidence of more family dysfunction compared to families with children with less severe ADHD behavior. After 3 months of treatment with amphetamine, the children's behavior and the mother's well-being and some aspects of parent-reported and observer-rated family functioning improved. This study gives support to the notion that some aspects of family dysfunction may be related to the child's ADHD behavior.

Does ADHD in adults affect the relative accuracy of metamemory judgments?

PubMed

Knouse, Laura E; Paradise, Matthew J; Dunlosky, John

2006-11-01

Prior research suggests that individuals with ADHD overestimate their performance across domains despite performing more poorly in these domains. The authors introduce measures of accuracy from the larger realm of judgment and decision making--namely, relative accuracy and calibration--to the study of self-evaluative judgment accuracy in adults with ADHD. Twenty-eight adults with ADHD and 28 matched controls participate in a computer-administered paired-associate learning task and predict their future recall using immediate and delayed judgments of learning (JOLs). Retrospective confidence judgments are also collected. Groups perform equally in terms of judgment magnitude and absolute judgment accuracy as measured by discrepancy scores and calibration curves. Both groups benefit equally from making their JOL at a delay, and the group with ADHD show higher relative accuracy for delayed judgments. Results suggest that under certain circumstances, adults with ADHD can make accurate judgments about their future memory.

Critique: Can Children with AD/HD Learn Relaxation and Breathing Techniques through Biofeedback Video Games?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Craig; Conlon, Elizabeth

2009-01-01

This article presents a critique on K. Amon and A. Campbell's "Can children with AD/HD learn relaxation and breathing techniques through biofeedback video games?". Amon and Campbell reported a successful trial of a commercially available biofeedback program, "The Wild Divine", in reducing symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)…

[Addiction from a developmental perspective: the role of conduct disorder and ADHD in the development of problematic substance use disorders].

PubMed

Carpentier, P J

2014-01-01

The externalising disorders conduct disorder (CD) and ADHD occur frequently in patients suffering from substance use disorders. These disorders play an important role in the onset and development of addiction. To examine the influence of CD and ADHD on the current problems and the psychiatric comorbidity of patients with a chronic addiction. A group of 193 opiate-addicted patients receiving methadone maintenance treatment were evaluated extensively in the following areas: functioning, quality of life, psychiatric comorbidity (including CD and ADHD) and comorbid addictions. Standardised interviews were used to check for the presence of CD and ADHD. A history of CD was demonstrated in the majority of participants (60.1%). Persistent ADHD was ascertained in 24.9%. Participants with CD and/or ADHD had a more severe addiction, characterised by more psychiatric comorbidity, more serious dysfunctioning and reduced quality of life. A history of CD predisposed patients particularly to antisocial behaviour and personality disorders. ADHD increased the risk of psychiatric comorbidity. Psychiatric comorbidity is part and parcel of addiction and reduces the quality of life of addicted patients. Behaviour problems in childhood play a major role in the development of severe addictions. Although CD is the biggest risk factor, the combination of ADHD with CD increases this risk, possibly through increased vulnerability to further psychiatric comorbidity.

[Clinical and neurophysiological data of neurofeedback therapy in children with ADHD].

PubMed

Kubik, Alicja; Kubik, Paweł; Stanios, Martyna; Kraj, Bogusława

2016-01-01

ADHD occurs in 3% of school-age children (and in 70% of them in adulthood) and represents an important medical and social problem. It is characterized by attention deficits, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. Neurofeedback therapy (EEG biofeedback, NF) is carried out based on the analysis of EEG. To investigate the effect of NF therapy on clinical status and parameters of the EEG in ADHD. In the years 2007-2014, 287 children (191 boys), aged 6-17 years were included into the study. Some children with ADHD had other coexisting disorders like: tics, dyslexia, emotional or behavior disorders. Visual analysis of EEG was made and 7 selected parameters of bioelectrical activity were assessed. EEG tracing before and after NF therapy were compared. NF therapy lasted from 9 months to 3 years (mean 1.5 years). 60-240 NF training sessions were performed with the use of NF device, video-games and 16-channel Elmiko devices. Statistical analysis of the results was made. Children with ADHD additionally presented low self-esteem, anxiety and sleep disorders. The baseline theta/beta ratio in children with ADHD and ADHD with cooccurring dyslexia was >4.0 and in children with ADHD and coexisting tics 3.0-3.8, with coexisting behavioral disorders 3.7-4.0 and emotional disorders 3.3-3.7. After therapy, this ratio decreased significantly in all groups, but most significantly in ADHD and ADHD with dyslexia group. In the group with dyslexia theta and alpha activity in the left fronto-temporo-parietal region (the speech centers) has been increased. In children with ADHD and behavior disorders right-sided paroxysmal changes in the form of slow and sharp waves in the temporo-centro-parietal regions were found. In emotionally disturbed children increased fast beta activity in the right hemisphere (anxiety, fear) was observed. Initially NF therapy reduced hyperactivity and impulsivity of children, subsequently improvement of attention was observed and eventually reduction of emotional and

Adverse drug events related to mood and emotion in paediatric patients treated for ADHD: A meta-analysis.

PubMed

Pozzi, Marco; Carnovale, Carla; Peeters, Gabriëlla G A M; Gentili, Marta; Antoniazzi, Stefania; Radice, Sonia; Clementi, Emilio; Nobile, Maria

2018-05-22

ADHD is frequently comorbid with anxiety and mood disorders, which may increase the severity of inattention and hyperactivity symptoms. Emotional symptoms (anxiety, irritability, mood lability) also affect patients without comorbidity or emerge as adverse drug events. The influence of ADHD drugs on emotional symptoms demands investigation to improve therapies. Systematic review of trials reporting adverse events in patients pharmacologically treated for ADHD. Meta-analysis of the occurrence of irritability, anxiety, apathy, reduced talk, sadness, crying, emotional lability, biting nails, staring, perseveration, euphoria. Meta-regression analysis. Forty-five trials were meta-analysed. The most frequently reported outcomes were irritability, anxiety, sadness, and apathy. Methylphenidates, especially immediate-release formulations, were most studied; amphetamines were half as studied and were predominantly mixed amphetamine salts. Reports on atomoxetine were scant. Meta-analysis showed that methylphenidates reduced the risk of irritability, anxiety, euphoria, whereas they worsened the risk of apathy and reduced talk; amphetamines worsened the risk of emotional lability. Factors influencing risks were study year and design, patients' sex and age, drug dose and release formulation. Possible discrepancy between adverse events as indicated in clinical trials and as summarised herein. Confounding due to the aggregation of drugs into groups; uninvestigated sources of bias; incomplete lists of adverse events; lack of observations on self-injury. Methylphenidates appeared safer than amphetamines, although younger patients and females may incur higher risks, especially with high-dose, immediate-release methylphenidates. Only atomoxetine holds a black-box warning, but amphetamines and methylphenidates also did not show a safe profile regarding mood and emotional symptoms. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Cognitive behavioral treatment outcomes in adolescent ADHD.

PubMed

Antshel, Kevin M; Faraone, Stephen V; Gordon, Michael

2014-08-01

To assess the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for managing adolescent ADHD. A total of 68 adolescents with ADHD and associated psychiatric comorbidities completed a manualized CBT treatment protocol. The intervention used in the study was a downward extension of the Safren et al. program for adults with ADHD who have symptoms unresolved by medication. Outcome variables consisted of narrow band (ADHD) and broadband (e.g., mood, anxiety, conduct) symptom measures (Behavior Assessment System for Children-2nd edition and ADHD-Rating Scales) as well as functioning measures (parent/teacher ratings and several ecologically real-world measures). Treatment effects emerged on the medication dosage, parent rating of pharmacotherapy adherence, adolescent self-report of personal adjustment (e.g., self-esteem), parent and teacher ratings of inattentive symptoms, school attendance, school tardiness, parent report of peer, family and academic functioning and teacher report of adolescent relationship with teacher, academic progress, and adolescent self-esteem. Adolescents with ADHD with oppositional defiant disorder were rated by parents and teachers as benefiting less from the CBT intervention. Adolescents with ADHD and comorbid anxiety/depression were rated by parents and teachers as benefiting more from the CBT intervention. A downward extension of an empirically validated adult ADHD CBT protocol can benefit some adolescents with ADHD. © 2012 SAGE Publications.

Impulsiveness, overactivity, and poorer sustained attention improve by chronic treatment with low doses of l-amphetamine in an animal model of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

PubMed

Sagvolden, Terje

2011-03-30

ADHD is currently defined as a cognitive/behavioral developmental disorder where all clinical criteria are behavioral. Overactivity, impulsiveness, and inattentiveness are presently regarded as the main clinical symptoms. There is no biological marker, but there is considerable evidence to suggest that ADHD behavior is associated with poor dopaminergic and noradrenergic modulation of neuronal circuits that involve the frontal lobes. The best validated animal model of ADHD, the Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat (SHR), shows pronounced overactivity, impulsiveness, and deficient sustained attention. The primary objective of the present research was to investigate behavioral effects of a range of doses of chronic l-amphetamine on ADHD-like symptoms in the SHR. The present study tested the behavioral effects of 0.75 and 2.2 mg l-amphetamine base/kg i.p. in male SHRs and their controls, the Wistar Kyoto rat (WKY). ADHD-like behavior was tested with a visual discrimination task measuring overactivity, impulsiveness and inattentiveness. The striking impulsiveness, overactivity, and poorer sustained attention seen during baseline conditions in the SHR were improved by chronic treatment with l-amphetamine. The dose-response curves were, however, different for the different behaviors. Most significantly, the 0.75 mg/kg dose of l-amphetamine improved sustained attention without reducing overactivity and impulsiveness. The 2.2 mg/kg dose improved sustained attention as well as reduced SHR overactivity and impulsiveness. The effects of l-amphetamine to reduce the behavioral symptoms of ADHD in the SHR were maintained over the 14 days of daily dosing with no evidence of tolerance developing.

Impulsiveness, overactivity, and poorer sustained attention improve by chronic treatment with low doses of l-amphetamine in an animal model of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background ADHD is currently defined as a cognitive/behavioral developmental disorder where all clinical criteria are behavioral. Overactivity, impulsiveness, and inattentiveness are presently regarded as the main clinical symptoms. There is no biological marker, but there is considerable evidence to suggest that ADHD behavior is associated with poor dopaminergic and noradrenergic modulation of neuronal circuits that involve the frontal lobes. The best validated animal model of ADHD, the Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat (SHR), shows pronounced overactivity, impulsiveness, and deficient sustained attention. The primary objective of the present research was to investigate behavioral effects of a range of doses of chronic l-amphetamine on ADHD-like symptoms in the SHR. Methods The present study tested the behavioral effects of 0.75 and 2.2 mg l-amphetamine base/kg i.p. in male SHRs and their controls, the Wistar Kyoto rat (WKY). ADHD-like behavior was tested with a visual discrimination task measuring overactivity, impulsiveness and inattentiveness. Results The striking impulsiveness, overactivity, and poorer sustained attention seen during baseline conditions in the SHR were improved by chronic treatment with l-amphetamine. The dose-response curves were, however, different for the different behaviors. Most significantly, the 0.75 mg/kg dose of l-amphetamine improved sustained attention without reducing overactivity and impulsiveness. The 2.2 mg/kg dose improved sustained attention as well as reduced SHR overactivity and impulsiveness. Discussion The effects of l-amphetamine to reduce the behavioral symptoms of ADHD in the SHR were maintained over the 14 days of daily dosing with no evidence of tolerance developing. PMID:21450079

The Contribution of Maternal ADHD Symptomatology, Maternal DAT1, and Home Atmosphere to Child ADHD Symptomatology at 7 Years of Age.

PubMed

Auerbach, Judith G; Zilberman-Hayun, Yael; Atzaba-Poria, Naama; Berger, Andrea

2017-04-01

Children of mothers with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have an increased genetic and environmental risk for ADHD. The unique and interactive contributions of a maternal dopamine receptor gene (DAT1), maternal ADHD symptoms (hyperactive- impulsive, inattentive), and home atmosphere to the prediction of ADHD symptoms (hyperactive- impulsive, inattentive) in 7- year-old boys (N = 96) were examined using data from a longitudinal study of familial risk for ADHD. During the first 6 months of the study, mothers and their spouses completed a questionnaire about the mother's ADHD symptoms. Home atmosphere questionnaire data were collected 4 years later. At the 7-year assessment, mothers reported on their child's ADHD symptoms. Negative home atmosphere was significantly associated with child hyperactive-impulsive and inattentive symptoms. Maternal inattentive symptoms were significantly correlated with both child symptom dimensions. Regression models, with child genotype and maternal education controlled, showed main effects for maternal inattentive symptoms, maternal DAT1 10/10 genotype, and home atmosphere in the prediction of child inattentive symptoms. Only home atmosphere predicted child hyperactive-impulsive symptoms. There was a significant home atmosphere x maternal hyperactive-impulsive symptoms interaction in the prediction of child hyperactive-impulsive symptoms. Boys with higher levels of symptoms came from homes characterized by higher levels of negative atmosphere and had mothers with higher levels of hyperactive-impulsive symptoms. There was also a trend (p = 0.075) for a maternal DAT1 x home atmosphere interaction. Boys with higher levels of inattentive symptoms came from homes with higher levels of negative atmosphere and had mothers with the homozygous 10/10 genotype. The maternal heterozygous 9/10 genotype did not predict child symptoms.

Does adult ADHD interact with COMT val (158) met genotype to influence working memory performance?

PubMed

Biehl, Stefanie C; Gschwendtner, Kathrin M; Guhn, Anne; Müller, Laura D; Reichert, Susanne; Heupel, Julia; Reif, Andreas; Deckert, Jürgen; Herrmann, Martin J; Jacob, Christian P

2015-03-01

Both attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) genotype have been linked to altered dopaminergic transmission and possible impairment in frontal lobe functioning. This study offers an investigation of a possible interaction between ADHD diagnosis and COMT genotype on measures of working memory and executive function. Thirty-five adults with ADHD, who were recruited from the ADHD outpatient clinic at the Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University of Würzburg, and thirty-five matched healthy controls completed the Digit Span test and the Stroop Color Word Test. While there were no main effects of ADHD or COMT, the two factors interacted on both Digit Span subtests with the two groups' met/met carriers showing significantly different performance on the Digit Span Forward subtest and the val/val carriers showing significantly different performance on the Digit Span Backward subtest. Findings provide preliminary support for a differential impact of COMT genotype on working memory measures in adult patients with ADHD compared to healthy controls.

Parenting Stress as a Mediator Between Childhood ADHD and Early Adult Female Outcomes.

PubMed

Gordon, Chanelle T; Hinshaw, Stephen P

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the mediating role of parenting stress (both parental distress and stress due to dysfunctional interactions in the mother-daughter relationship [PSDI]) in the link between childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) status and several important young adult outcomes. The diverse sample comprised 140 girls with ADHD and 88 age- and ethnicity-matched comparisons, evaluated at ages 6-12 years and followed prospectively for five years (M age = 14.2) and 10 years (M age = 19.6). The PSDI experienced by a mother during her daughter's adolescence mediated the link between her daughter's childhood ADHD status and adult externalizing and internalizing symptoms. PSDI also mediated the link between ADHD status and young adult nonsuicidal self-injury and had an indirect effect in the relation between childhood ADHD and young adult depressive symptoms. The mediating role of PSDI with respect to internalizing symptoms and depressive symptoms remained in place even when covarying adolescent internalizing/depressive symptoms. Parenting stress, particularly related to maternal perceptions of dysfunctional interactions with adolescent daughters, serves as a key mediator in the association between childhood ADHD status and important domains of young adult functioning. Minimizing parenting stress and dysfunctional mother-daughter interactions during adolescence might reduce the risk of adverse adult outcomes for girls with ADHD.

A critical appraisal of atomoxetine in the management of ADHD

PubMed Central

Childress, Ann C

2016-01-01

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurobehavioral disorder beginning in childhood and often continuing into adulthood. A wealth of data shows that ADHD symptoms respond well to pharmacological treatment. Stimulant medications, including amphetamine and methylphenidate, are most commonly used to treat ADHD. However, with the approval of atomoxetine (Strattera®, [ATX]) by the US Food and Drug Administration in late 2002, an effective non-stimulant option became available. The US Food and Drug Administration approved ATX for the treatment of ADHD in children, adolescents, and adults. Although the effect size of ATX is generally lower than that of stimulants, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Practice Parameter for the treatment of ADHD lists ATX as a first-line treatment option. ATX is widely prescribed and accounted for 6% of the prescriptions of ADHD visits in the US in 2010. Numerous trials have found that ATX improves quality of life and emotional lability in addition to core ADHD symptoms. Although some improvement may be seen in a patient as early as one week after the initiation of treatment, ATX generally takes longer to have a full effect. The median time to response using 25% improvement in ADHD symptoms in pooled trials was 3.7 weeks. Data from these trials indicate that the probability of symptom improvement may continue to increase up to 52 weeks after treatment is initiated. ATX has been shown to be safe and effective in combination with stimulants. It has also been studied systematically in subjects with ADHD and comorbid oppositional defiant disorder, anxiety, depression, and substance use disorders. The mechanism of action of ATX, its efficacy, and adverse events reported in trials is reviewed. PMID:26730199

Can Children with ADHD Be Motivated to Reduce Bias in Self-Reports of Competence?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoza, Betsy; Vaughn, Aaron; Waschbusch, Daniel A.; Murray-Close, Dianna; McCabe, George

2012-01-01

Objective: Our purpose in the current study was to examine whether children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and comparison children, if adequately motivated, are able to purposefully match their teachers' ratings of competence in multiple domains and whether any reductions in self-perceptual bias normalize self-views in…

Modelling ADHD: A review of ADHD theories through their predictions for computational models of decision-making and reinforcement learning.

PubMed

Ziegler, Sigurd; Pedersen, Mads L; Mowinckel, Athanasia M; Biele, Guido

2016-12-01

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterized by altered decision-making (DM) and reinforcement learning (RL), for which competing theories propose alternative explanations. Computational modelling contributes to understanding DM and RL by integrating behavioural and neurobiological findings, and could elucidate pathogenic mechanisms behind ADHD. This review of neurobiological theories of ADHD describes predictions for the effect of ADHD on DM and RL as described by the drift-diffusion model of DM (DDM) and a basic RL model. Empirical studies employing these models are also reviewed. While theories often agree on how ADHD should be reflected in model parameters, each theory implies a unique combination of predictions. Empirical studies agree with the theories' assumptions of a lowered DDM drift rate in ADHD, while findings are less conclusive for boundary separation. The few studies employing RL models support a lower choice sensitivity in ADHD, but not an altered learning rate. The discussion outlines research areas for further theoretical refinement in the ADHD field. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Gently restless: association of ADHD-like traits with response inhibition and interference control.

PubMed

Polner, Bertalan; Aichert, Désirée; Macare, Christine; Costa, Anna; Ettinger, Ulrich

2015-12-01

Impairment of inhibition-related functions is one of the most pronounced cognitive deficits found in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Compelling evidence from studies of unaffected relatives of patients with ADHD and of ADHD-like traits in healthy subjects suggest the continuous distribution of ADHD symptoms in the population. A more subtle inhibitory deficit can also be found in healthy relatives of patients and in subjects with high ADHD-like traits. Here, we examined the relationship between inhibitory performance and ADHD-like traits, for the first time, in a large sample of healthy adults by applying multiple, widely used tests of inhibition-related functions. ADHD-like traits, in general, were independently predicted by Stroop interference score and, at trend level, by go/no-go commission error rate while controlling for socio-demographic factors, verbal intelligence and neuroticism. Additionally, higher inattentive traits were related to worse Stroop performance at trend level, and higher hyperactive/impulsive traits were significantly associated with more go/no-go commission errors. ADHD-like traits were strongly related to neuroticism. The study shows that individual differences in ADHD-like traits are related to variance in fundamental inhibition-related functions over and above effects of negative affect regulation, but the relationships tend to be small. The results suggest the quasi-dimensionality of ADHD and raise further questions about the relationship between genetic factors and the deficit of inhibition-related functions in the ADHD spectrum.

Changes and challenges: managing ADHD in a fast-paced world.

PubMed

Manos, Michael J; Tom-Revzon, Catherine; Bukstein, Oscar G; Crismon, M Lynn

2007-11-01

related to the primary neurotransmitter involved. Availability of XR, ER, LA, and transdermal stimulant formulations, as well as alternative nonstimulant agents, offers new options for the pharmacotherapy of ADHD. Major concerns associated with abuse liability of stimulants have been allayed by the availability of ER formulations, which have reduced reinforcing effects associated with short-acting preparations. Medication outcomes in ADHD can be enhanced by the use of evidence-based algorithms such as CMAP. Keys to success are adequate initial assessment and diagnosis, the use of sustained-release products, sufficient dose titration, and the use of clinical rating scales with feedback from caregivers and teachers. Optimal treatment outcomes can be achieved by appropriate pharmacotherapy combined with psychosocial interventions.

Delay and reward choice in ADHD: an experimental test of the role of delay aversion.

PubMed

Marco, Rafaela; Miranda, Ana; Schlotz, Wolff; Melia, Amanda; Mulligan, Aisling; Müller, Ueli; Andreou, Penny; Butler, Louise; Christiansen, Hanna; Gabriels, Isabel; Medad, Sheera; Albrecht, Bjorn; Uebel, Henrik; Asherson, Phillip; Banaschewski, Tobias; Gill, Michael; Kuntsi, Jonna; Mulas, Fernando; Oades, Robert; Roeyers, Herbert; Steinhausen, Hans-Christoph; Rothenberger, Aribert; Faraone, Stephen V; Sonuga-Barke, Edmund J S

2009-05-01

Children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) choose smaller sooner (SS) over larger later (LL) rewards more than controls. Here we assess the contributions of impulsive drive for immediate rewards (IDIR) and delay aversion (DAv) to this pattern. We also explore the characteristics of, and the degree of familiality in, ADHD SS responders. We had 360 ADHD probands; 349 siblings and 112 controls (aged between 6 to 17 years) chose between SS (1 point after 2 s) and LL reward (2 points after 30 s) outcomes on the Maudsley Index of Delay Aversion (Kuntsi, Oosterlaan, & Stevenson, 2001): Under one condition SS choice led to less overall trial delay under another it did not. ADHD participants chose SS more than controls under both conditions. This effect was larger when SS choice reduced trial delay. ADHD SS responders were younger, had lower IQ, more conduct disorder and had siblings who were more likely to be SS responders themselves. The results support a dual component model in which both IDIR and DAv contribute to SS choice in ADHD. SS choice may be a marker of an ADHD motivational subtype.

The Inadequacy of ADHD: A Philosophical Contribution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sjöberg, Mattias Nilsson; Dahlbeck, Johan

2018-01-01

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a widely spread diagnosis. The dominant paradigm of ADHD is biomedical where ADHD is defined as a brain disorder. At the same time, the legitimacy of the diagnosis is being questioned since it is unclear whether or not ADHD can be deemed a medical disorder in itself. The aim of this article is to…

Anxiety reduction on atomoxetine and methylphenidate medication in children with ADHD.

PubMed

Snircova, Eva; Marcincakova-Husarova, Veronika; Hrtanek, Igor; Kulhan, Tomas; Ondrejka, Igor; Nosalova, Gabriela

2016-06-01

Atomoxetine and methylphenidate are widely used to treat attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with similar effectiveness after 8 weeks of treatment, when atomoxetine has reached its a full effect. Both drugs have also been shown to have an effect on comorbid anxiety. To the best of our knowledge, no study has compared their effect on the dynamics of anxiety symptom reduction. The aim of this study was to compare the medication effect on core and comorbid anxiety symptom dynamics in children with ADHD. Sixty-nine patients participated in the study: 36 patients were taking atomoxetine and 33 patients, methylphenidate. Therapeutic effect on core symptoms of ADHD was measured on the ADHD-rating scale IV, and symptoms of anxiety were measured using the Conners Parent Rating Scale (CPRS). Symptoms were measured prior to and every 2 weeks during 8 weeks of treatment. There was a significant decrease in CPRS anxiety subscale score in both medication groups. Anxiety subscale score was significantly lower in the atomoxetine group in the fourth week, and lasted through to 8 weeks of medication. Both atomoxetine and methylphenidate reduced the symptoms of ADHD and anxiety. Atomoxetine was more effective in anxiety symptom reduction from the fourth week of treatment. © 2015 Japan Pediatric Society.

Atypical Activations of Fronto-Cerebellar Regions During Forethought in Parents of Children With ADHD.

PubMed

Rapin, Lucile; Poissant, Hélène; Mendrek, Adrianna

2017-10-01

Although several studies suggest heritability of ADHD, only a few investigations of possible associations between people at risk and neural abnormalities in ADHD exist. In this study, we tested whether parents of children with ADHD would show atypical patterns of cerebral activations during forethought, a feature of working memory. Using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), we compared 12 parents of children with ADHD and 9 parents of control children during a forethought task. Parents of children with ADHD exhibited significantly increased neural activations in the posterior lobes of the cerebellum and in the left inferior frontal gyrus, relative to parents of control children. These findings are consistent with previous reports in children and suggest the fronto-cerebellar circuit's abnormalities during forethought in parents of children with ADHD. Future studies of people at risk of ADHD are needed to fully understand the extent of the fronto-cerebellar heritability.

Disturbed sleep in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is not a question of psychiatric comorbidity or ADHD presentation.

PubMed

Virring, Anne; Lambek, Rikke; Thomsen, Per H; Møller, Lene R; Jennum, Poul J

2016-06-01

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a heterogeneous psychiatric disorder with three different presentations and high levels of psychiatric comorbidity. Serious sleep complaints are also common, but the role of the presentations and comorbidity in sleep is under-investigated in ADHD. Consequently, the goal of the study was to investigate sleep problems in medicine-naive school-aged children (mean age = 9.6 years) with ADHD compared to controls using objective methods and to examine the role of comorbidity and presentations. Ambulatory polysomnography results suggested that children with ADHD (n = 76) had significantly more sleep disturbances than controls (n = 25), including a larger percentage of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and more sleep cycles, as well as lower mean sleep efficiency, mean non-REM (NREM) sleep stage 1 and mean NREM sleep stage 3. No significant between-group differences were found on the multiple sleep latency test. Stratifying for comorbidity in the ADHD group did not reveal major differences between groups, but mean sleep latency was significantly longer in children with ADHD and no comorbidity compared to controls (36.1 min; SD = 30.1 versus 22.6 min; SD = 15.2). No differences were found between ADHD presentations. Our results support the presence of night-time sleep disturbances in children with ADHD. Poor sleep does not appear to be attributable to comorbidity alone, nor do sleep disturbances differ within ADHD presentations. © 2016 European Sleep Research Society.

Dopamine risk and paternal ADHD symptomatology associated with ADHD symptoms in four and a half-year-old boys.

PubMed

Auerbach, Judith G; Atzaba-Poria, Naama; Berger, Andrea; Landau, Rivka; Arbelle, Shoshana; Raz, Yael; Ebstein, Richard

2010-08-01

This study examined the influence of allelic variation in two dopamine genes, the dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) gene and the dopamine transporter D1 (DAT1) gene, and paternal attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptomatology on the level of ADHD symptoms in 96 four and a half-year-old boys. DNA was collected by means of a buccal swab and genotyped for DRD4 and DAT1. Mothers completed the Dupaul ADHD checklist on their sons. ADHD symptomatology ratings for fathers were based on a summed father self-reported and spouse-reported symptoms (Conners Adult ADHD Rating Scale). There were main effects for DAT1 and father symptomatology for the child Total ADHD and Hyperactivity-Impulsivity scores. The main effects for DRD4 were limited to the child Hyperactivity-Impulsivity scores. Child Inattentive scores were influenced only by father symptomatology. Interaction effects between DAT1 and DRD4 and between DAT1 and the father ADHD risk group were found for child Hyperactivity-Impulsivity scores. Boys with the highest level of symptomatology were those with the 10/10 DAT1 genotype and the DRD4-7 genotype or fathers with high symptomatology. The findings of this study indicate that the risk for ADHD, particularly hyperactivity-impulsivity, is exacerbated in the presence of dopamine risk genes and paternal ADHD symptomatology. This study adds to the growing literature on the efficacy of including multiple genetic and environmental risk factors in studies related to the development of psychopathology.

Neural Biomarkers for Dyslexia, ADHD, and ADD in the Auditory Cortex of Children.

PubMed

Serrallach, Bettina; Groß, Christine; Bernhofs, Valdis; Engelmann, Dorte; Benner, Jan; Gündert, Nadine; Blatow, Maria; Wengenroth, Martina; Seitz, Angelika; Brunner, Monika; Seither, Stefan; Parncutt, Richard; Schneider, Peter; Seither-Preisler, Annemarie

2016-01-01

Dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and attention deficit disorder (ADD) show distinct clinical profiles that may include auditory and language-related impairments. Currently, an objective brain-based diagnosis of these developmental disorders is still unavailable. We investigated the neuro-auditory systems of dyslexic, ADHD, ADD, and age-matched control children (N = 147) using neuroimaging, magnetencephalography and psychoacoustics. All disorder subgroups exhibited an oversized left planum temporale and an abnormal interhemispheric asynchrony (10-40 ms) of the primary auditory evoked P1-response. Considering right auditory cortex morphology, bilateral P1 source waveform shapes, and auditory performance, the three disorder subgroups could be reliably differentiated with outstanding accuracies of 89-98%. We therefore for the first time provide differential biomarkers for a brain-based diagnosis of dyslexia, ADHD, and ADD. The method allowed not only allowed for clear discrimination between two subtypes of attentional disorders (ADHD and ADD), a topic controversially discussed for decades in the scientific community, but also revealed the potential for objectively identifying comorbid cases. Noteworthy, in children playing a musical instrument, after three and a half years of training the observed interhemispheric asynchronies were reduced by about 2/3, thus suggesting a strong beneficial influence of music experience on brain development. These findings might have far-reaching implications for both research and practice and enable a profound understanding of the brain-related etiology, diagnosis, and musically based therapy of common auditory-related developmental disorders and learning disabilities.

Neural Biomarkers for Dyslexia, ADHD, and ADD in the Auditory Cortex of Children

PubMed Central

Serrallach, Bettina; Groß, Christine; Bernhofs, Valdis; Engelmann, Dorte; Benner, Jan; Gündert, Nadine; Blatow, Maria; Wengenroth, Martina; Seitz, Angelika; Brunner, Monika; Seither, Stefan; Parncutt, Richard; Schneider, Peter; Seither-Preisler, Annemarie

2016-01-01

Dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and attention deficit disorder (ADD) show distinct clinical profiles that may include auditory and language-related impairments. Currently, an objective brain-based diagnosis of these developmental disorders is still unavailable. We investigated the neuro-auditory systems of dyslexic, ADHD, ADD, and age-matched control children (N = 147) using neuroimaging, magnetencephalography and psychoacoustics. All disorder subgroups exhibited an oversized left planum temporale and an abnormal interhemispheric asynchrony (10–40 ms) of the primary auditory evoked P1-response. Considering right auditory cortex morphology, bilateral P1 source waveform shapes, and auditory performance, the three disorder subgroups could be reliably differentiated with outstanding accuracies of 89–98%. We therefore for the first time provide differential biomarkers for a brain-based diagnosis of dyslexia, ADHD, and ADD. The method allowed not only allowed for clear discrimination between two subtypes of attentional disorders (ADHD and ADD), a topic controversially discussed for decades in the scientific community, but also revealed the potential for objectively identifying comorbid cases. Noteworthy, in children playing a musical instrument, after three and a half years of training the observed interhemispheric asynchronies were reduced by about 2/3, thus suggesting a strong beneficial influence of music experience on brain development. These findings might have far-reaching implications for both research and practice and enable a profound understanding of the brain-related etiology, diagnosis, and musically based therapy of common auditory-related developmental disorders and learning disabilities. PMID:27471442

Early developmental, temperamental and educational problems in 'substance use disorder' patients with and without ADHD. Does ADHD make a difference?

PubMed

Skutle, Arvid; Bu, Eli Torild Hellandsjø; Jellestad, Finn Konow; van Emmerik-van Oortmerssen, Katelijne; Dom, Geert; Verspreet, Sofie; Carpentier, Pieter Jan; Ramos-Quiroga, Josep Antoni; Franck, Johan; Konstenius, Maija; Kaye, Sharlene; Demetrovics, Zsolt; Barta, Csaba; Fatséas, Melina; Auriacombe, Marc; Johnson, Brian; Faraone, Stephen V; Levin, Frances R; Allsop, Steve; Carruthers, Susan; Schoevers, Robert A; Koeter, Maarten W J; van den Brink, Wim; Moggi, Franz; Møller, Merete; van de Glind, Geurt

2015-12-01

The prevalence of ADHD among patients with substance use disorder (SUD) is substantial. This study addressed the following research questions: Are early developmental, temperamental and educational problems overrepresented among SUD patients with ADHD compared to SUD patients without ADHD? Do this comorbid group receive early help for their ADHD, and are there signs of self-medicating with illicit central stimulants? An international, multi-centre cross-sectional study was carried out involving seven European countries, with 1205 patients in treatment for SUD. The mean age was 40 years and 27% of the sample was female. All participants were interviewed with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview Plus and the Conners' Adult ADHD Diagnostic Interview for DSM-IV. SUD patients with ADHD ( n  = 196; 16.3% of the total sample) had a significantly slower infant development than SUD patients without ADHD ( n  = 1,009; 83.4%), had greater problems controlling their temperament, and had lower educational attainment. Only 24 (12%) of the current ADHD positive patients had been diagnosed and treated during childhood and/or adolescence. Finally, SUD patients with ADHD were more likely to have central stimulants or cannabis as their primary substance of abuse, whereas alcohol use was more likely to be the primary substance of abuse in SUD patients without ADHD. The results emphasize the importance of early identification of ADHD and targeted interventions in the health and school system, as well as in the addiction field.

The influence of Generalized Anxiety Disorder on Executive Functions in children with ADHD.

PubMed

Menghini, D; Armando, M; Calcagni, M; Napolitano, C; Pasqualetti, P; Sergeant, J A; Pani, P; Vicari, S

2018-06-01

The present study was aimed at verifying whether the presence of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) affects executive functions in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Two groups of children with ADHD were selected for the study according to the presence or absence of GAD. The first group of 28 children with ADHD with GAD (mean age: 9 ± 1.2; males/females: 24/4) was matched for gender, age, IQ, psychiatric comorbidity with a second group of 29 children with ADHD without GAD (mean age: 8.8 ± 0.7; males/females: 26/3). The two groups with ADHD were compared to 28 typically developing children (mean age: 8.3 ± 1.3; males/females: 23/5) on different measures involving processes especially important in inhibitory control such as rule maintenance, stimulus detection, action selection and action execution. Our results indicated that, differently from children with ADHD with GAD, only the group with ADHD without GAD showed a deficit in inhibitory control. Comorbid subgroups should be differentiated, especially, to develop specific and efficient therapeutic interventions in ADHD.

A prenatal nicotine exposure mouse model of methylphenidate responsive ADHD-associated cognitive phenotypes.

PubMed

Zhu, Jinmin; Fan, Fangfang; McCarthy, Deirdre M; Zhang, Lin; Cannon, Elisa N; Spencer, Thomas J; Biederman, Joseph; Bhide, Pradeep G

2017-05-01

Prenatal exposure to nicotine via cigarette smoke or other forms of tobacco use is a significant environmental risk factor for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The neurobiological mechanisms underlying the link between prenatal nicotine exposure (PNE) and ADHD are not well understood. Animal models, especially rodent models, are beginning to bridge this gap in knowledge. Although ADHD is characterized by hyperactivity, inattention, impulsivity and working memory deficits, the majority of the animal models are based on only one or two ADHD associated phenotypes, in particular, hyperactivity or inattention. We report a PNE mouse model that displays the full range of ADHD associated behavioral phenotypes including working memory deficit, attention deficit and impulsive-like behavior. All of the ADHD-associated phenotypes respond to a single administration of a therapeutic equivalent dose of methylphenidate. In an earlier study, we showed that PNE produces hyperactivity, frontal cortical hypodopaminergic state and thinning of the cingulate cortex. Collectively, these data suggest that the PNE mouse model recapitulates key features of ADHD and may be a suitable preclinical model for ADHD research. Copyright © 2017 ISDN. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Drug Holidays From ADHD Medication: International Experience Over the Past Four Decades.

PubMed

Ibrahim, Kinda; Donyai, Parastou

2015-07-01

ADHD is managed by stimulants that are effective but can cause growth retardation. Prescribers should ideally monitor children and trial a "drug holiday" to enable catch-up growth. Our aim was to map the experience of drug holidays from ADHD medication in children and adolescents. A comprehensive search of the literature identified 22 studies published during the period 1972 to 2013. Drug holidays are prevalent in 25% to 70% of families and are more likely to be exercised during school holidays. They test whether medication is still needed and are also considered for managing medication side effects and drug tolerance. The impact of drug holidays was reported in terms of side effects and ADHD symptoms. There was evidence of a positive impact on child growth with longer breaks from medication, and shorter breaks could reduce insomnia and improve appetite. Drug holidays from ADHD medication could be a useful tool with multiple purposes: assessment, management, prevention, and negotiation. © 2014 SAGE Publications.

ADHD Expressive Writing Difficulties of ADHD Children: When Good Declarative Knowledge Is Not Sufficient

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Re, Anna Maria; Cornoldi, Cesare

2010-01-01

A large body of evidence shows that many of the academic difficulties Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) children have may be related to their problems in executive control. However, the particular case of expressive writing has not been deeply explored. The present study examines the typical school exercise of writing a letter.…

College Students with ADHD

MedlinePlus

... services get help with organizing their schedule and life succeed academically Most people with ADHD are diagnosed before college. However, some people may not recognize the signs and symptoms of ADHD until they are at college. Trying to balance school work and the freedom of living away from home ...

ADHD impacted by sulfotransferase (SULT1A) inhibition from artificial food colors and plant-based foods.

PubMed

Eagle, Ken

2014-08-01

Five recent reviews have analyzed trials on the association between artificial food colors and ADHD; the 50 underlying studies and the reviews in aggregate were inconclusive. Recent work has shown human in vivo SULT1A inhibition leading to incremental catecholamines, and an inverted-U relationship between brain catecholamines and proper functioning of the prefrontal cortex where ADHD behavior can arise. This study re-examined the same underlying trials for evidence that SULT1A inhibitors were in the placebos and other inactive foods, that these "inactive" materials were symptomatic, and that ADHD symptoms exhibited an inverted-U response to SULT1A inhibition. Nearly all the underlying diets, and many placebos and delivery vehicles, were found to contain SULT1A inhibitors. Eight publications provided evidence of ADHD symptoms caused by the "inactive" materials containing SULT1A inhibitors. Ten studies showed additional SULT1A inhibitors reducing the symptoms of some subjects. SULT1A inhibitors in foods, including natural substances and artificial food colors, have a role in ADHD that can both worsen or improve symptoms. Mechanistically, SULT1A enzymes normally deactivate catecholamines, especially dopamine formed in the intestines; SULT1A inhibition can influence brain catecholamines through the intermediary of plasma tyrosine levels, which are influenced by dopamine inhibition of intestinal tyrosine hydroxylase. Biochemical measurements focused on SULT1A activity and plasma tyrosine concentrations are proposed for future work. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Linking state regulation, brain laterality, and self-reported attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in adults.

PubMed

Mohamed, Saleh M H; Börger, Norbert A; Geuze, Reint H; van der Meere, Jaap J

2016-10-01

Many clinical studies have shown that performance of subjects with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is impaired when stimuli are presented at a slow rate compared to a medium or fast rate. According to the cognitive-energetic model, this finding may reflect difficulty in allocating sufficient effort to regulate the motor activation state. Other studies have shown that the left hemisphere is relatively responsible for keeping humans motivated, allocating sufficient effort to complete their tasks. This leads to a prediction that poor effort allocation might be associated with an affected left-hemisphere functioning in ADHD. So far, this prediction has not been directly tested, which is the aim of the present study. Seventy-seven adults with various scores on the Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scale performed a lateralized lexical decision task in three conditions with stimuli presented in a fast, a medium, and a slow rate. The left-hemisphere functioning was measured in terms of visual field advantage (better performance for the right than for the left visual field). All subjects showed an increased right visual field advantage for word processing in the slow presentation rate of stimuli compared to the fast and the medium rate. Higher ADHD scores were related to a reduced right visual field advantage in the slow rate only. The present findings suggest that ADHD symptomatology is associated with less involvement of the left hemisphere when extra effort allocation is needed to optimize the low motor activation state.

Optimal management of ADHD in older adults.

PubMed

Torgersen, Terje; Gjervan, Bjorn; Lensing, Michael B; Rasmussen, Kirsten

2016-01-01

The manifestation of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among older adults has become an interesting topic of interest due to an increasing number of adults aged 50 years and older (≥50 years) seeking assessment for ADHD. Unfortunately, there is a lack of research on ADHD in older adults, and until recently only a few case reports existed. A systematic search was conducted in the databases Medline/PubMed and PsycINFO in order to identify studies regarding ADHD in adults ≥50 years. ADHD persists into older ages in many patients, but the prevalence of patients fulfilling the criteria for the diagnosis at age ≥50 years is still unknown. It is reason to believe that the prevalence is falling gradually with age, and that the ADHD symptom level is significantly lower in the age group 70-80 years than the group 50-60 years. There is a lack of controlled studies of ADHD medication in adults ≥50 years, but this review suggests that many patients aged ≥50 years experience beneficial effects of pharmacological treatment. The problem with side effects and somatic complications may rise to a level that makes pharmacotherapy for ADHD difficult after the age of 65 years. Physical assessment prior to initiation of ADHD medication in adults ≥50 years should include a thorough clinical examination, and medication should be titrated with low doses initially and with a slow increase. In motivated patients, different psychological therapies alone or in addition to pharmacotherapy should be considered. It is essential when treating older adult patients with ADHD to provide good support based on knowledge and understanding of how ADHD symptoms have affected health, quality of life, and function through the life span. Individualized therapy for each elderly patient should be recommended to balance risk-benefit ratio when pharmacotherapy is considered to be a possible treatment.

Treating nicotine dependence by targeting attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with OROS methylphenidate: the role of baseline ADHD severity and treatment response.

PubMed

Nunes, Edward V; Covey, Lirio S; Brigham, Gregory; Hu, Mei-Chen; Levin, Frances R; Somoza, Eugene C; Winhusen, Theresa M

2013-10-01

To determine whether treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with osmotic-release oral system (OROS) methylphenidate promotes abstinence from smoking among smokers with ADHD who have greater severity of ADHD symptoms at baseline or greater improvement in ADHD during treatment. This is a secondary analysis of data from a randomized, double-blind, 11-week trial conducted between December 2005 and January 2008 at 6 clinical sites; the original trial was sponsored by the National Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network. Adult cigarette smokers (aged 18-55 years) who met DSM-IV criteria for ADHD were randomly assigned to OROS methylphenidate (72 mg/d) (n = 127) or matching placebo (n = 128). All participants received nicotine patches (21 mg/d) and weekly individual smoking cessation counseling. Logistic regression was used to model prolonged abstinence from smoking (ascertained by self-report and breath carbon monoxide testing) as a function of treatment, baseline ADHD Rating Scale-IV (ADHD-RS) score, change in ADHD-RS score during treatment, and their interactions. Treatment interacted with both ADHD-RS score at baseline (P = .01) and change in ADHD-RS score during treatment (P = .008). Among patients with higher ADHD-RS scores (> 36) at baseline and the most improvement in ADHD during treatment (ADHD-RS change score ≥ 24), 70.0% of those who took OROS methylphenidate achieved abstinence from smoking compared to 36.8% of those who took placebo (P = .02). In contrast, among patients with the lowest ADHD-RS baseline scores (≤ 30), 30.3% of those who took OROS methylphenidate achieved abstinence from smoking compared to 60.7% of those who took placebo (P = .02). OROS methylphenidate, in combination with nicotine patch, may be an effective treatment for nicotine dependence among smokers with more severe ADHD and more robust response of ADHD symptoms to medication. OROS methylphenidate may be counterproductive among smokers with lower severity of ADHD

Cognitive behavioral therapy for adolescents with ADHD.

PubMed

Antshel, Kevin M; Olszewski, Amy K

2014-10-01

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often persists into adolescence and has the same functional impairments as were present during childhood. Medications lessen ADHD symptoms yet do not reliably affect functioning. Thus, there exists a great need for psychosocial treatments in adolescents with ADHD. Nonetheless, relative to the vast literature that has been reported on children with ADHD, much less data have been reported about psychosocial interventions for adolescents with ADHD. Cognitive behavioral therapy interventions that are being used with adolescents rely more on traditional behavioral principles than cognitive therapy tenets. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

ADHD patients fail to maintain task goals in face of subliminally and consciously induced cognitive conflicts.

PubMed

Gohil, K; Bluschke, A; Roessner, V; Stock, A-K; Beste, C

2017-07-01

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) patients have been reported to display deficits in action control processes. While it is known that subliminally and consciously induced conflicts interact and conjointly modulate action control in healthy subjects, this has never been investigated for ADHD. We investigated the (potential) interaction of subliminally and consciously triggered response conflicts in children with ADHD and matched healthy controls using neuropsychological methods (event-related potentials; ERPs) to identify the involved cognitive sub-processes. Unlike healthy controls, ADHD patients showed no interaction of subliminally and consciously triggered response conflicts. Instead, they only showed additive effects as their behavioural performance (accuracy) was equally impaired by each conflict and they showed no signs of task-goal shielding even in cases of low conflict load. Of note, this difference between ADHD and controls was not rooted in early bottom-up attentional stimulus processing as reflected by the P1 and N1 ERPs. Instead, ADHD showed either no or reversed modulations of conflict-related processes and response selection as reflected by the N2 and P3 ERPs. There are fundamental differences in the architecture of cognitive control which might be of use for future diagnostic procedures. Unlike healthy controls, ADHD patients do not seem to be endowed with a threshold which allows them to maintain high behavioural performance in the face of low conflict load. ADHD patients seem to lack sufficient top-down attentional resources to maintain correct response selection in the face of conflicts by shielding the response selection process from response tendencies evoked by any kind of distractor.

Alcohol and substance use history among ADHD adults: the relationship with persistent and remitting symptoms, personality, employment, and history of service use.

PubMed

Huntley, Zoe; Young, Susan

2014-01-01

To profile substance use, personality, service use, and employment in adults with ADHD. The sample consisted of 216 consecutive referrals to an adult ADHD service and classified with ADHD, partially or fully remitted ADHD, or no ADHD. Normal controls (n = 33) were recruited from a general practitioner's center. Participants completed measures of alcohol and illicit substance use, employment, service use, ADHD symptoms, and personality. High rates of substance use were found in participants with current ADHD diagnoses. ADHD participants showed increased rates of personality trait or disorder scores and unemployment. There was some indication that those with ADHD and substance-related impairment place higher demand on services. Individuals with partially remitted ADHD showed similar substance use to those with current ADHD, whereas those in full remission were comparable with normal controls. Although ADHD symptoms may remit with time, individuals retaining persisting or partial symptoms have substantial needs in adulthood.

ADHD in context: Young adults’ reports of the impact of occupational environment on the manifestation of ADHD

PubMed Central

Lasky, Arielle K.; Weisner, Thomas S.; Jensen, Peter S.; Hinshaw, Stephen P.; Hechtman, Lily; Arnold, L. Eugene; Murray, Desiree; Swanson, James M.

2016-01-01

Does changing context play a role in the decline in ADHD symptoms in adulthood? Insufficient research has explored the functioning of adults with ADHD. As adults, individuals with ADHD have significantly more latitude to control aspects of their day-to-day environments. Do the new contexts young adults find themselves in alter their experience of ADHD? Are there particular occupational or educational contexts in which young adults report functioning better than others? To examine this issue, we conducted semi-structured interviews at four North American sites in 2010-11 with 125 young adults, originally diagnosed with ADHD as children, regarding their work and post-secondary educational environments. Many subjects describe their symptoms as context-dependent. In some contexts, participants report feeling better able to focus; in others, their symptoms—such as high energy levels—become strengths rather than liabilities. Modal descriptions included tasks that were stressful and challenging, novel and required multitasking, busy and fast-paced, physically demanding or hands-on, and/or intrinsically interesting. Consistent with a developmental psychopathology framework, ADHD is experienced as arising from an interaction between our subjects and their environments. These findings demonstrate the need to account for the role of context in our understanding of ADHD as a psychiatric disorder, especially as it manifests in young adulthood. PMID:27299978

ADHD and marijuana use expectancies in young adulthood

PubMed Central

Harty, Seth C.; Pedersen, Sarah L.; Gnagy, Elizabeth M.; Pelham, William E.; Molina, Brooke S. G.

2015-01-01

Objective This study examined mean level differences in marijuana expectancies and the differential associations between expectancies and marijuana use for individuals with and without a history of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Background Substance use expectancies are a widely studied risk factor for alcohol and other drug use. The relations between marijuana use expectancies and self-reported marijuana use have not been examined in young adults with ADHD, a population shown to be at risk for marijuana use. Method Participants were 306 (190 ADHD and 116 nonADHD) young adults (M age = 20.06, SD = 2.03) from the Pittsburgh ADHD Longitudinal Study (PALS) who provided data about marijuana use and marijuana use expectancies. Results Individuals in the ADHD group reported lower levels of social enhancement, tension reduction, and cognitive and behavioral impairment expectancies compared to individuals in the nonADHD group. Positive and negative marijuana use expectancies were associated with marijuana use frequency in the whole sample and statistically significant ADHD group by expectancy interactions were found. Sexual enhancement expectancies were more strongly associated with marijuana use frequency among individuals with ADHD histories while cognitive behavioral impairment expectancies were more strongly associated with marijuana use frequency among individuals without ADHD. Conclusions Marijuana use expectancies may be acquired, and operate differently, for individuals with and without ADHD histories. Although future research is needed to test this speculation, these differences may be associated with ADHD-related difficulties in higher order cognitive processes that affect the encoding and utilization of expectations regarding marijuana’s effects. PMID:26548364

ADHD: A Teachers' Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Templeton, Rosalyn A.

This paper provides a brief historical outline of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), its definition, its behavioral characteristics, and a guide to creating successful learning environments for these students. Diagnostic criteria for ADHD are listed and discussed, and incidence figures of 3 to 5 percent of all school-age children are…

ADHD in Adults. [DVD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barkley, Russell A.

2006-01-01

From leading ADHD authority Dr. Russell A. Barkley, this instructive program integrates information about ADHD with the experiences of adults from different walks of life who suffer from the disorder. Including interviews with these individuals, their family members, and the clinicians who treat them, the program addresses such important topics as…

Mathematical Difficulties and ADHD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lucangeli, Daniela; Cabrele, Silvia

2006-01-01

Most of the research on academics and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has focused on reading disorders in children with ADHD rather than difficulties in mathematics. In this article, we provide a comprehensive review of studies focusing on students with attention deficit disorders with or without hyperactivity and 1 area of…

"I Use Weed for My ADHD": A Qualitative Analysis of Online Forum Discussions on Cannabis Use and ADHD.

PubMed

Mitchell, John T; Sweitzer, Maggie M; Tunno, Angela M; Kollins, Scott H; McClernon, F Joseph

2016-01-01

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a risk factor for problematic cannabis use. However, clinical and anecdotal evidence suggest an increasingly popular perception that cannabis is therapeutic for ADHD, including via online resources. Given that the Internet is increasingly utilized as a source of healthcare information and may influence perceptions, we conducted a qualitative analysis of online forum discussions, also referred to as threads, on the effects of cannabis on ADHD to systematically characterize the content patients and caregivers may encounter about ADHD and cannabis. A total of 268 separate forum threads were identified. Twenty percent (20%) were randomly selected, which yielded 55 separate forum threads (mean number of individual posts per forum thread = 17.53) scored by three raters (Cohen's kappa = 0.74). A final sample of 401 posts in these forum threads received at least one endorsement on predetermined topics following qualitative coding procedures. Twenty-five (25%) percent of individual posts indicated that cannabis is therapeutic for ADHD, as opposed to 8% that it is harmful, 5% that it is both therapeutic and harmful, and 2% that it has no effect on ADHD. This pattern was generally consistent when the year of each post was considered. The greater endorsement of therapeutic versus harmful effects of cannabis did not generalize to mood, other (non-ADHD) psychiatric conditions, or overall domains of daily life. Additional themes emerged (e.g., cannabis being considered sanctioned by healthcare providers). Despite that there are no clinical recommendations or systematic research supporting the beneficial effects of cannabis use for ADHD, online discussions indicate that cannabis is considered therapeutic for ADHD-this is the first study to identify such a trend. This type of online information could shape ADHD patient and caregiver perceptions, and influence cannabis use and clinical care.

Altered functional connectivity in default mode network in Internet gaming disorder: Influence of childhood ADHD.

PubMed

Lee, Deokjong; Lee, Junghan; Lee, Jung Eun; Jung, Young-Chul

2017-04-03

Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is a type of behavioral addiction characterized by abnormal executive control, leading to loss of control over excessive gaming. Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common comorbid disorders in IGD, involving delayed development of the executive control system, which could predispose individuals to gaming addiction. We investigated the influence of childhood ADHD on neural network features of IGD. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging analysis was performed on 44 young, male IGD subjects with and without childhood ADHD and 19 age-matched, healthy male controls. Posterior cingulate cortex (PCC)-seeded connectivity was evaluated to assess abnormalities in default mode network (DMN) connectivity, which is associated with deficits in executive control. IGD subjects without childhood ADHD showed expanded functional connectivity (FC) between DMN-related regions (PCC, medial prefrontal cortex, thalamus) compared with controls. These subjects also exhibited expanded FC between the PCC and brain regions implicated in salience processing (anterior insula, orbitofrontal cortex) compared with IGD subjects with childhood ADHD. IGD subjects with childhood ADHD showed expanded FC between the PCC and cerebellum (crus II), a region involved in executive control. The strength of connectivity between the PCC and cerebellum (crus II) was positively correlated with self-reporting scales reflecting impulsiveness. Individuals with IGD showed altered PCC-based FC, the characteristics of which might be dependent upon history of childhood ADHD. Our findings suggest that altered neural networks for executive control in ADHD would be a predisposition for developing IGD. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Increase in Teachers' Knowledge about ADHD after a Week-Long Training Program: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Syed, Ehsan Ullah; Hussein, Sajida Abdul

2010-01-01

Objectives: ADHD affects 3% to 5% of school-age children. Clinical and community based epidemiological studies in Pakistan have shown a high prevalence of ADHD among school going children. A thorough review of literature shows that no studies of teachers' training programs regarding ADHD have been published in Pakistani research literature. The…

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in a 19th century children's book.

PubMed

Thome, Johannes; Jacobs, Kerrin A

2004-08-01

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a major mental disorder in children. Presently, its pathogenesis and treatment as well as its role in adult psychiatry are subjects of heated debate. As early as 1846, the typical symptoms of ADHD were described by Heinrich Hoffmann, a physician who later founded the first mental hospital in Frankfurt. Interestingly, his description was published in a children's book entitled "Struwwelpeter" which he had designed for his 3-year-old son Carl Philipp. The symptomatology is impressively depicted in the colourfully illustrated story of "Zappel-Philipp" ("Fidgety Philip"), probably the first written mention of ADHD by a medical professional. This clearly shows that the diagnosis of ADHD is not an "invention" of modern times.

Informativeness of Self-Reports of ADHD Symptoms in Monitoring Response to Stimulant Treatment in Clinically Referred Adults With ADHD.

PubMed

Biederman, Joseph; Fitzgerald, Maura; Spencer, Thomas J; Adler, Lenard A; Abrams, Jessica; Biederman, Itai; Faraone, Stephen V

2018-05-01

To investigate the informativeness of self-reports of ADHD symptoms in adults with ADHD in the clinical setting. Subjects were clinically referred adults aged 19 years to 67 years of age of both sexes ( N = 54). All subjects were on stable doses of stimulant and were considered responders to treatment. ADHD symptoms were assessed using the ADHD Investigator Symptom Rating Scale (AISRS) and the ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS). Spearman's rank correlations were used to assess the correlations between clinician-assessed ADHD and patients' self-reports. Spearman's rank correlation analysis found evidence of a strong, positive association between total scores on the AISRS and the ASRS ( rs = .65, df = 52, p< .001). Results have important implications for the management and monitoring of treatment response in the clinical setting through patients' self-report.

Social Skills in Adults with AD/HD

MedlinePlus

... ADHD Hospital and University ADHD Centers Insurance and Public Benefits The Insurance System Paying for Medications Private Health ... but on some level, people do weigh the costs and benefits of being in relationships. Many with ADHD are ...

Migraine and associated comorbidities are three times more frequent in children with ADHD and their mothers.

PubMed

Kutuk, Meryem Ozlem; Tufan, Ali Evren; Guler, Gulen; Yalin, Osman Ozgur; Altintas, Ebru; Bag, Harika Gozukara; Uluduz, Derya; Toros, Fevziye; Aytan, Nurgul; Kutuk, Ozgur; Ozge, Aynur

2018-06-16

Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neuro-developmental disorder related to internalizing and externalizing disorders as well as somatic complaints and disorders. This study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of headache subtypes, epilepsy, atopic disorders, motion sickness and recurrent abdominal pain among children and adolescents with ADHD and their parents. In a multi-center, cross-sectional, familial association study using case-control design, treatment naïve children and adolescents between 6 and 18 years of age diagnosed with ADHD according to the DSM-5 criteria as well as age- and gender-matched healthy controls and their parents were evaluated by a neurologist and analyzed accordingly. 117 children and adolescents with ADHD and 111 controls were included. Headache disorder diagnosis was common for both patients and healthy controls (59.0% vs. 37.8%), with a significantly elevated rate in the ADHD group (p = 0.002). Migraine was found in 26.0% of ADHD patients and 9.9% of healthy controls. Tension headache was found in 32.4% of ADHD patients and 27.9% of healthy controls. Headache diagnosis was also found to be significantly more common in mothers of children with ADHD than control group mothers (90.5% vs. 36.6%, p < 0.001). Headache diagnoses and specifically migraines were significantly more common among children with ADHD and their mothers, while recurrent abdominal pain was elevated in both parents and ADHD patients. Migraine is an important part of ADHD comorbidity, not only for children but also for mothers. Motion sickness may be reduced among families of ADHD probands. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Differential effects of anxiety and depressive symptoms on working memory components in children and adolescents with ADHD combined type and ADHD inattentive type.

PubMed

Ferrin, Maite; Vance, Alasdair

2014-12-01

Working memory (WM) deficits have been shown to be associated with core ADHD symptoms, worse academic achievement and peer-relationship problems. Internalizing symptoms, such as anxiety and depression, have also been associated with impaired WM performance. However, the association of anxiety and depression and WM performance remains unclear for children and adolescents with ADHD. Further, it is unknown how these comorbid conditions might affect WM performance in the two main ADHD subtypes. The association of anxiety and depression and the specific components of spatial (SWM) and verbal working memory (VWM) were examined in 303 children and adolescents with ADHD, combined type (ADHD-CT) and 77 ADHD, inattentive type (ADHD-IA) compared to 128 age- and gender-matched typically developing participants. The relationship between anxiety and depression and WM was assessed using multiple linear regression analyses and separate simple regression analyses. Higher levels of anxiety/depression were associated with (1) increased between-search errors in the typically developing participants alone, (2) a better strategy performance in the ADHD-CT group, and (3) a better spatial span performance in the ADHD-IA group. VWM was equally impaired in the ADHD-CT and ADHD-IA groups, independent of the levels of anxiety and depression. The results suggest that the effects of internalizing symptoms on WM differ in typically developing children and adolescents compared to those with ADHD. Further, high levels of anxiety and depression modified WM performance differently according to the specific ADHD subtypes. This might help explain contradictory findings observed in previous studies of mixed samples of participants with ADHD-CT and ADHD-IA.

Differences in paper-and-pencil versus computerized line bisection according to ADHD subtype and hand-use.

PubMed

Rolfe, Mei Hsin Suzanne; Hamm, Jeff P; Waldie, Karen E

2008-03-01

Two versions of the line bisection task, paper-and-pencil and computerized, were administered to non-medicated children (5-12 years) with and without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Fifteen children were classified with ADHD-Inattentive type (ADHD-I), 15 were classified with ADHD-Combined or Hyperactive-Impulsive type (ADHD-C), and 15 children served as controls. During the paper-and-pencil task, and irrespective of hand-use, participants with ADHD-C bisected lines with a right bias, whereas participants with ADHD-I showed a leftwards bias. Interestingly, during the computerized version, an opposite pattern of hemineglect was observed with a leftwards bias for participants with ADHD-C and a rightwards bias for participants with ADHD-I. These findings suggest that different task demands are associated with the paper-and-pencil and computerized tasks. The findings also suggest that the two subtypes differ according to their cognitive profile, and possibly differ as to their underlying neural impairment.

Diversion of ADHD Stimulants and Victimization Among Adolescents

PubMed Central

McCabe, Sean Esteban; Veliz, Philip T.; Stoddard, Sarah A.; Austic, Elizabeth A.; Boyd, Carol J.

2016-01-01

Objective To examine whether a recent prescription for stimulant medication is associated with peer victimization among youth with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methods Data from 4,965 adolescents attending five public schools who completed an annual web survey over 4 years were used to examine recent stimulant medication prescription and self-reported frequent victimization. Results Adolescents with ADHD and recent stimulant prescription reported more victimization than those without ADHD, but similar to adolescents with ADHD and no recent prescription. Adolescents with ADHD and past 12-month diversion of their prescribed stimulants were at greatest risk of 12-month frequent victimization compared with adolescents without ADHD and adolescents with ADHD but no recent prescription. Youth approached to divert reported more victimization than youth not approached. Youth who diverted reported more victimization than those who did not divert. Conclusions Close parent–prescriber collaboration is needed to ensure effective medical treatment for ADHD without greater risk for victimization and treatment failure. PMID:26590265

Personality Traits and Comorbidity in Adults With ADHD.

PubMed

Instanes, Johanne Telnes; Haavik, Jan; Halmøy, Anne

2016-10-01

To assess personality traits using the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) in a group of 63 previously diagnosed ADHD patients and 68 population controls and investigate the impact of common comorbid psychiatric disorders on these personality measures. Psychiatric comorbidity was assessed with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview Plus and personality traits by the TCI. The patient group had significantly higher scores on the TCI dimensions Harm avoidance and Novelty seeking compared with the control group. However, when adjusting for comorbid anxiety and depressive disorder, the ADHD group no longer showed higher Harm avoidance than the control group. The difference in Novelty seeking between the patient and control groups was correlated with lifetime diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). It is important to take comorbid psychiatric disorders into account while investigating personality traits in ADHD. © The Author(s) 2013.

Risky decision making in adults with ADHD.

PubMed

Matthies, S; Philipsen, A; Svaldi, J

2012-09-01

Risky decision making and disadvantageous choices constitute core characteristics of patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Consequences include negative psychosocial and health-related outcomes. However, risky decision making and its interrelations with emotional states in ADHD are poorly understood. Therefore, the authors investigated risky decision making without and after boredom induction in adults with and without ADHD. In study 1, ADHD patients (n = 15) and age/education matched controls (CG; n = 16) were compared on the Game of Dice Task (GDT), an established task measuring decision making in unambiguous situations. In study 2, ADHD patients (n = 14) and CG (n = 13) underwent boredom induction prior to the GDT. In study 1, ADHD patients selected the disadvantageous alternatives significantly more often than CG. In study 2, no significant group differences were found due to an increase in risky decision making in CG following the boredom induction. Even if severity of depression did not affect our results, it may be necessary to compare GDT responses in ADHD patients with and without current depression. Risk as a motor of disadvantageous decision making needs to be taken into account in therapeutic contexts as a maintenance factor of dysfunctional behaviour. The findings of study 2 are in line with postulated alterations of emotional state adjustment in ADHD. The link between decisions making and emotional regulation in ADHD needs further attention in research. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cross-Cultural and Gender Differences in ADHD Among Young Adults.

PubMed

Gómez-Benito, Juana; Van de Vijver, Fons J R; Balluerka, Nekane; Caterino, Linda

2015-10-29

This study explored the effect of cultural and gender differences in ADHD among Spanish, African American, Hispanic American, and European American young adults. Structural equivalence between the four groups was examined by Tucker's phi coefficient. A MANCOVA was carried out with cultural groups and gender as factors and age as covariate. Structural equivalence was observed across all groups, and no differential item functioning was found. No significant effect was found for gender, although, with the exception of the Hispanic group, males scored higher than females. Furthermore, small, though significant, cultural differences were found. The lowest levels of ADHD were observed in the European American group and the highest in the Hispanic American group. ADHD symptoms, notably inattention, showed some decline with age. Findings extend existing data and suggest a relationship between culture and the development of ADHD, which might be mediated by parenting style. © The Author(s) 2015.

Social Skills Training and ADHD-What Works?

PubMed

Mikami, Amori Yee; Smit, Sophie; Khalis, Adri

2017-10-30

Many children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have difficulties in their social skills and peer relationships. Because social problems exacerbate later maladjustment in ADHD populations, it is important to address this serious impairment. Although social skills training (SST) is a common intervention approach, evidence to date suggests that SST has limited efficacy, at least when provided in traditional, clinic-based settings. The current review summarizes recent advances to traditional SST approaches that may potentially enhance their efficacy. We identify two promising directions in which SST may be modified to make it more efficacious for ADHD populations. The first direction involves providing increased reinforcement and reminders of appropriate social behavior at the point of performance to youth with ADHD (e.g., in vivo, in real life peer situations as opposed to in the clinic). We note the importance of ensuring that youth with ADHD are receptive to such reminders. The second direction involves encouraging peers to be more socially accepting and inclusive of youth with ADHD. This avenue has been understudied in the literature to date. SST for children and adolescents with ADHD may be enhanced by providing more in vivo reminders and feedback at the point of performance and by making efforts to alter peers' impressions about youth with ADHD.

Neuropsychological and neurophysiological benefits from white noise in children with and without ADHD.

PubMed

Baijot, Simon; Slama, Hichem; Söderlund, Göran; Dan, Bernard; Deltenre, Paul; Colin, Cécile; Deconinck, Nicolas

2016-03-15

Optimal stimulation theory and moderate brain arousal (MBA) model hypothesize that extra-task stimulation (e.g. white noise) could improve cognitive functions of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We investigate benefits of white noise on attention and inhibition in children with and without ADHD (7-12 years old), both at behavioral and at neurophysiological levels. Thirty children with and without ADHD performed a visual cued Go/Nogo task in two conditions (white noise or no-noise exposure), in which behavioral and P300 (mean amplitudes) data were analyzed. Spontaneous eye-blink rates were also recorded and participants went through neuropsychological assessment. Two separate analyses were conducted with each child separately assigned into two groups (1) ADHD or typically developing children (TDC), and (2) noise beneficiaries or non-beneficiaries according to the observed performance during the experiment. This latest categorization, based on a new index we called "Noise Benefits Index" (NBI), was proposed to determine a neuropsychological profile positively sensitive to noise. Noise exposure reduced omission rate in children with ADHD, who were no longer different from TDC. Eye-blink rate was higher in children with ADHD but was not modulated by white noise. NBI indicated a significant relationship between ADHD and noise benefit. Strong correlations were observed between noise benefit and neuropsychological weaknesses in vigilance and inhibition. Participants who benefited from noise had an increased Go P300 in the noise condition. The improvement of children with ADHD with white noise supports both optimal stimulation theory and MBA model. However, eye-blink rate results question the dopaminergic hypothesis in the latter. The NBI evidenced a profile positively sensitive to noise, related with ADHD, and associated with weaker cognitive control.

Temporal Stability of ADHD in the High-IQ Population: Results from the MGH Longitudinal Family Studies of ADHD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Antshel, Kevin M.; Faraone, Stephen V.; Maglione, Katherine; Doyle, Alysa; Fried, Ronna; Seidman, Larry; Biederman, Joseph

2008-01-01

A study was conducted to establish the relationship between Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity (ADHD) disorder and high-IQ children and whether ADHD has a high predictive value among youths with high-IQ. Results further supported the hypothesis for the predictive validity of ADHD in high-IQ youths.

Understanding ADHD: Symptoms in Children

MedlinePlus

... this page please turn JavaScript on. Feature: Understanding ADHD Symptoms In Children Past Issues / Spring 2014 Table ... hyperactivity, and impulsivity are the key behaviors of ADHD. It is normal for all children to be ...

Electrophysiological correlates of reinforcement learning in young people with Tourette syndrome with and without co-occurring ADHD symptoms.

PubMed

Shephard, Elizabeth; Jackson, Georgina M; Groom, Madeleine J

2016-06-01

Altered reinforcement learning is implicated in the causes of Tourette syndrome (TS) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). TS and ADHD frequently co-occur but how this affects reinforcement learning has not been investigated. We examined the ability of young people with TS (n=18), TS+ADHD (N=17), ADHD (n=13) and typically developing controls (n=20) to learn and reverse stimulus-response (S-R) associations based on positive and negative reinforcement feedback. We used a 2 (TS-yes, TS-no)×2 (ADHD-yes, ADHD-no) factorial design to assess the effects of TS, ADHD, and their interaction on behavioural (accuracy, RT) and event-related potential (stimulus-locked P3, feedback-locked P2, feedback-related negativity, FRN) indices of learning and reversing the S-R associations. TS was associated with intact learning and reversal performance and largely typical ERP amplitudes. ADHD was associated with lower accuracy during S-R learning and impaired reversal learning (significantly reduced accuracy and a trend for smaller P3 amplitude). The results indicate that co-occurring ADHD symptoms impair reversal learning in TS+ADHD. The implications of these findings for behavioural tic therapies are discussed. Copyright © 2016 ISDN. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Problematic Peer Functioning in Girls with ADHD: A Systematic Literature Review.

PubMed

Kok, Francien M; Groen, Yvonne; Fuermaier, Anselm B M; Tucha, Oliver

2016-01-01

Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) experience many peer interaction problems and are at risk of peer rejection and victimisation. Although many studies have investigated problematic peer functioning in children with ADHD, this research has predominantly focused on boys and studies investigating girls are scant. Those studies that did examine girls, often used a male comparison sample, disregarding the inherent gender differences between girls and boys. Previous studies have highlighted this limitation and recommended the need for comparisons between ADHD females and typical females, in order to elucidate the picture of female ADHD with regards to problematic peer functioning. The aim of this literature review was to gain insight into peer functioning difficulties in school-aged girls with ADHD. PsychINFO, PubMed, and Web of Knowledge were searched for relevant literature comparing school-aged girls with ADHD to typically developing girls (TDs) in relation to peer functioning. The peer relationship domains were grouped into 'friendship', 'peer status', 'social skills/competence', and 'peer victimisation and bullying'. In total, thirteen studies were included in the review. All of the thirteen studies included reported that girls with ADHD, compared to TD girls, demonstrated increased difficulties in the domains of friendship, peer interaction, social skills and functioning, peer victimization and externalising behaviour. Studies consistently showed small to medium effects for lower rates of friendship participation and stability in girls with ADHD relative to TD girls. Higher levels of peer rejection with small to large effect sizes were reported in all studies, which were predicted by girls' conduct problems. Peer rejection in turn predicted poor social adjustment and a host of problem behaviours. Very high levels of peer victimisation were present in girls with ADHD with large effect sizes. Further, very high levels of social impairment

Multisensory integration and ADHD-like traits: Evidence for an abnormal temporal integration window in ADHD.

PubMed

Panagiotidi, Maria; Overton, Paul G; Stafford, Tom

2017-11-01

Abnormalities in multimodal processing have been found in many developmental disorders such as autism and dyslexia. However, surprisingly little empirical work has been conducted to test the integrity of multisensory integration in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The main aim of the present study was to examine links between symptoms of ADHD (as measured using a self-report scale in a healthy adult population) and the temporal aspects of multisensory processing. More specifically, a Simultaneity Judgement (SJ) and a Temporal Order Judgement (TOJ) task were used in participants with low and high levels of ADHD-like traits to measure the temporal integration window and Just-Noticeable Difference (JND) (respectively) between the timing of an auditory beep and a visual pattern presented over a broad range of stimulus onset asynchronies. The Point of Subjective Similarity (PSS) was also measured in both cases. In the SJ task, participants with high levels of ADHD-like traits considered significantly fewer stimuli to be simultaneous than participants with high levels of ADHD-like traits, and the former were found to have significantly smaller temporal windows of integration (although no difference was found in the PSS in the SJ or TOJ tasks, or the JND in the latter). This is the first study to identify an abnormal temporal integration window in individuals with ADHD-like traits. Perceived temporal misalignment of two or more modalities can lead to distractibility (e.g., when the stimulus components from different modalities occur separated by too large of a temporal gap). Hence, an abnormality in the perception of simultaneity could lead to the increased distractibility seen in ADHD. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A meta-analysis of decision-making and attention in adults with ADHD.

PubMed

Mowinckel, Athanasia M; Pedersen, Mads Lund; Eilertsen, Espen; Biele, Guido

2015-05-01

Deficient reward processing has gained attention as an important aspect of ADHD, but little is known about reward-based decision-making (DM) in adults with ADHD. This article summarizes research on DM in adult ADHD and contextualizes DM deficits by comparing them to attention deficits. Meta-analytic methods were used to calculate average effect sizes for different DM domains and continuous performance task (CPT) measures. None of the 59 included studies (DM: 12 studies; CPT: 43; both: 4) had indications of publication bias. DM and CPT measures showed robust, small to medium effects. Large effect sizes were found for a drift diffusion model analysis of the CPT. The results support the existence of DM deficits in adults with ADHD, which are of similar magnitude as attention deficits. These findings warrant further examination of DM in adults with ADHD to improve the understanding of underlying neurocognitive mechanisms. © 2014 SAGE Publications.

The fiscal consequences of ADHD in Germany: a quantitative analysis based on differences in educational attainment and lifetime earnings.

PubMed

Kotsopoulos, Nikolaos; Connolly, Mark P; Sobanski, Esther; Postma, Maarten J

2013-03-01

To estimate the long-term fiscal consequences of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) on the German government and social insurance system based on differences in educational attainment and the resulting differences in lifetime earnings compared with non-ADHD cohorts. Differences in educational attainment between ADHD and non-ADHD cohorts were linked to education-specific earnings data. Direct and indirect tax rates and social insurance contributions were linked to differences in lifetime, education-specific earnings to derive lost tax revenue in Germany associated with ADHD. For ADHD and non-ADHD cohorts we derived the age-specific discounted net taxes paid by deducting lifetime transfers from lifetime gross taxes paid. The lifetime net tax revenue for a non-ADHD individual was approximately EUR 80,000 higher compared to an untreated ADHD individual. The fiscal burden of untreated ADHD, based on a cohort of n=31,844 born in 2010, was estimated at EUR 2.5 billion in net tax revenue losses compared with an equally-sized non-ADHD cohort. ADHD interventions providing a small improvement in educational attainment resulted in fiscal benefits from increases in lifetime tax gains. ADHD results in long-term financial loss due to lower education attainment and lifetime reduced earnings and resulting lifetime taxes and social contributions paid. Investments in ADHD interventions allowing more children to achieve their educational potential may offer fiscal benefits generating a positive rate of return.

Giftedness and ADHD: Identification, Misdiagnosis, and Dual Diagnosis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mullet, Dianna R.; Rinn, Anne N.

2015-01-01

Many gifted characteristics overlap the symptoms of attention deficity-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The potential for the misdiagnosis of giftedness as ADHD exists, but so does the potential for a dual diagnosis of giftedness and ADHD. A decade after the misdiagnosis of giftedness as ADHD was first investigated we examine lessons learned…

Characterizing heterogeneity in children with and without ADHD based on reward system connectivity

PubMed Central

Costa Dias, Taciana G.; Iyer, Swathi P.; Carpenter, Samuel D.; Cary, Robert P.; Wilson, Vanessa B.; Mitchell, Suzanne H.; Nigg, Joel T.; Fair, Damien A.

2015-01-01

One potential obstacle limiting our ability to clarify ADHD etiology is the heterogeneity within the disorder, as well as in typical samples. In this study, we utilized a community detection approach on 106 children with and without ADHD (aged 7–12 years), in order to identify potential subgroups of participants based on the connectivity of the reward system. Children with ADHD were compared to typically developing children within each identified community, aiming to find the community-specific ADHD characteristics. Furthermore, to assess how the organization in subgroups relates to behavior, we evaluated delay-discounting gradient and impulsivity-related temperament traits within each community. We found that discrete subgroups were identified that characterized distinct connectivity profiles in the reward system. Importantly, which connections were atypical in ADHD relative to the control children were specific to the community membership. Our findings showed that children with ADHD and typically developing children could be classified into distinct subgroups according to brain functional connectivity. Results also suggested that the differentiation in “functional” subgroups is related to specific behavioral characteristics, in this case impulsivity. Thus, combining neuroimaging data and community detection might be a valuable approach to elucidate heterogeneity in ADHD etiology and examine ADHD neurobiology. PMID:25660033

ADHD in context: Young adults' reports of the impact of occupational environment on the manifestation of ADHD.

PubMed

Lasky, Arielle K; Weisner, Thomas S; Jensen, Peter S; Hinshaw, Stephen P; Hechtman, Lily; Arnold, L Eugene; W Murray, Desiree; Swanson, James M

2016-07-01

Does changing context play a role in the decline in ADHD symptoms in adulthood? Insufficient research has explored the functioning of adults with ADHD. As adults, individuals with ADHD have significantly more latitude to control aspects of their day-to-day environments. Do the new contexts young adults find themselves in alter their experience of ADHD? Are there particular occupational or educational contexts in which young adults report functioning better than others? To examine this issue, we conducted semi-structured interviews at four North American sites in 2010-11 with 125 young adults, originally diagnosed with ADHD as children, regarding their work and post-secondary educational environments. Many subjects describe their symptoms as context-dependent. In some contexts, participants report feeling better able to focus; in others, their symptoms-such as high energy levels-become strengths rather than liabilities. Modal descriptions included tasks that were stressful and challenging, novel and required multitasking, busy and fast-paced, physically demanding or hands-on, and/or intrinsically interesting. Consistent with a developmental psychopathology framework, ADHD is experienced as arising from an interaction between our subjects and their environments. These findings demonstrate the need to account for the role of context in our understanding of ADHD as a psychiatric disorder, especially as it manifests in young adulthood. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Media use and sleep among boys with autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, or typical development.

PubMed

Engelhardt, Christopher R; Mazurek, Micah O; Sohl, Kristin

2013-12-01

The current study examined the relationships between media use (television, computer, and video games) and sleep among boys with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared with those with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or with typical development (TD). Participants included parents of boys with ASD (n = 49), ADHD (n = 38), or TD (n = 41) (ages 8-17 years). Questionnaires assessed daily hours of media use, bedroom access to media, and average sleep hours per night. Bedroom media access was associated with less time spent sleeping per night, irrespective of diagnostic group. Bedroom access to a television or a computer was more strongly associated with reduced sleep among boys with ASD compared with boys with ADHD or TD. Multivariate models showed that, in addition to bedroom access, the amount of time spent playing video games was uniquely associated with less sleep among boys with ASD. In the ASD group only, the relationship between bedroom access to video games and reduced sleep was mediated by hours of video game play. The current results suggest that media-related variables may be an important consideration in understanding sleep disturbances in children with ASD. Further research is needed to better characterize the processes by which media use may affect sleep among individuals with ASD. Overall, the current findings suggest that screen-based media time and bedroom media access should be routinely assessed and may be important intervention targets when addressing sleep problems in children with ASD.

ADHD and math - The differential effect on calculation and estimation.

PubMed

Ganor-Stern, Dana; Steinhorn, Ofir

2018-05-31

Adults with ADHD were compared to controls when solving multiplication problems exactly and when estimating the results of multidigit multiplication problems relative to reference numbers. The ADHD participants were slower than controls in the exact calculation and in the estimation tasks, but not less accurate. The ADHD participants were similar to controls in showing enhanced accuracy and speed for smaller problem sizes, for trials in which the reference numbers were smaller (vs. larger) than the exact answers and for reference numbers that were far (vs. close) from the exact answer. The two groups similarly used the approximated calculation and the sense of magnitude strategies. They differed however in strategy execution, mainly of the approximated calculation strategy, which requires working memory resources. The increase in reaction time associated with using the approximated calculation strategy was larger for the ADHD compared to the control participants. Thus, ADHD seems to selectively impair calculation processes in estimation tasks that rely on working memory, but it does not hamper estimation skills that are based on sense of magnitude. The educational implications of these findings are discussed. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Outpatient screening of Japanese children with epilepsy for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD).

PubMed

Tanabe, Takuya; Kashiwagi, Mitsuru; Shimakawa, Shuichi; Tamai, Hiroshi; Wakamiya, Eiji

2014-04-01

The significance of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) score for AD/HD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) screening was assessed in Japanese epileptic children. Sixty-eight epileptic children were enrolled in this study. Parents were asked to fill out both the SDQ and AD/HD-rating scale (AD/HD-RS) simultaneously. The SDQ subscale of hyperactivity showed the highest score. The AD/HD-RS showed higher scores for both inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity. Twenty-two (32.4%) of these subjects were diagnosed as having AD/HD. The SDQ subscale for hyperactivity showed 86.4% sensitivity and 95% specificity, respectively, for detection of AD/HD. All SDQ subscales correlated significantly with inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity scores of the AD/HD-RS. The SDQ is a good screening tool which can contribute to the detection of AD/HD, not only of the hyperactive/impulsive but also the inattentive subtype. Furthermore, the SDQ can elucidate more complicated behavioral problems than the core symptoms of AD/HD that are not noticed in the epilepsy clinic. Copyright © 2013 The Japanese Society of Child Neurology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An Examination of the Associations between ADHD, Homework Behavior and Reading Comprehension

PubMed Central

Little, Callie W.; Hart, Sara A.; Schatschneider, Christopher; Taylor, Jeanette

2015-01-01

Previous literature has indicated an important association between reading comprehension and both ADHD and homework habits. This investigation sought to extend previous knowledge by providing information about how ADHD and homework behavior (i.e., completing homework regularly) may jointly influence reading comprehension. Using a genetically sensitive design, this study examined the genetic and environmental influences on and between ADHD, homework behavior and reading comprehension. Participants for this study included 691 twin pairs (351 monozygotic, 340 same-sex dizygotic) from the Florida Twin Project on Behavior and Environment (FTP-BE) and 2647 twin pairs (865 monozygotic, 1782 dizygotic) from the larger Florida Twin Project on Reading (FTP-R) in grades 3 through 7. Three separate models, each representing a different definition of ADHD (full ADHD, Inattention only, and Hyperactivity/Impulsivity only), showed similar patterns of results, therefore, results of the full ADHD model are discussed. Overlapping genetic influences were found between ADHD, homework behavior and reading comprehension, but no shared environmental influences among all three. However, shared environmental influences overlapped between homework behavior and reading comprehension. Although the sources of this environmental overlap are unknown, these results have implications for improving homework practices and their subsequent influence on literacy skills through homework environments. PMID:25349092

Examining Associations Among ADHD, Homework Behavior, and Reading Comprehension: A Twin Study.

PubMed

Little, Callie W; Hart, Sara A; Schatschneider, Christopher; Taylor, Jeanette

2016-07-01

Previous literature has indicated an important association between reading comprehension and both attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and homework habits. This investigation sought to extend previous knowledge by providing information about how ADHD and homework behavior (i.e., completing homework regularly) may jointly influence reading comprehension. Using a genetically sensitive design, this study examined the genetic and environmental influences on and between ADHD, homework behavior and reading comprehension. Participants for this study included 691 twin pairs (351 monozygotic, 340 same-sex dizygotic) from the Florida Twin Project on Behavior and Environment (FTP-BE) and 2647 twin pairs (865 monozygotic, 1782 dizygotic) from the larger Florida Twin Project on Reading (FTP-R) in Grades 3 through 7. Three separate models, each representing a different definition of ADHD (full ADHD, inattention only, and hyperactivity/impulsivity only), showed similar patterns of results; therefore, results of the full ADHD model are discussed. Overlapping genetic influences were found between ADHD, homework behavior, and reading comprehension, but no shared environmental influences among all three. However, shared environmental influences overlapped between homework behavior and reading comprehension. Although the sources of this environmental overlap are unknown, these results have implications for improving homework practices and their subsequent influence on literacy skills through homework environments. © Hammill Institute on Disabilities 2014.

[Language and executive functioning skills of students with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and in reading comprehension difficulties (RCD)].

PubMed

Miranda Casas, Ana; Fernández Andrés, María Inmaculada; García Castellar, Rosa; Roselló Miranda, Belén; Colomer Diago, Carla

2011-11-01

The aim of this work was to study the specificity of deficits in linguistic and executive functioning of students with ADHD and with RCD and to determine the profile of deficits in the comorbid group (ADHD+RCD). Participants in the study were 84 students, ages 12-16 years divided into four groups with an equal number of subjects (N= 21): ADHD, RCD, ADHD+RCD and comparison group (without ADHD and without RCD). We measured vocabulary, oral comprehension, lexical access, verbal and visual working memory, inhibition and attention. The results show that the ADHD+RCD group presents the most important linguistic deficits, followed by the RCD group. On the other hand, the three clinical groups (ADHD, RCD and ADHD+RCD) display greater performance problems in working memory than the comparison group, whereas the two groups with ADHD had more problems in attention and inhibition. These results suggest the dissociation of linguistic and executive deficits that affect the RCD group and ADHD group to a greater extent, respectively. Lastly, the comorbid group showed deficits both in language and in executive skills. We discuss the implications of these findings for designing interventions.

Sustained and Focused Attention Deficits in Adult ADHD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marchetta, Natalie D. J.; Hurks, Petra P. M.; De Sonneville, Leo M. J.; Krabbendam, Lydia; Jolles, Jelle

2008-01-01

Objective: To examine the specificity of deficits in focused attention and sustained attention in adults with ADHD and to evaluate the effect of comorbidity. Method: Twenty-eight adults with ADHD without comorbidity were compared with 28 ADHD outpatients with comorbidity. Two control groups were used: 68 adults referred for ADHD but with another…

Dysfunctions in Dopamine Systems and ADHD: Evidence From Animals and Modeling

PubMed Central

Viggiano, Davide; Vallone, Daniela; Sadile, Adolfo

2004-01-01

Animal models are useful for characterizing neural substrates of neuropsychiatric disorders. Several models have been proposed for the study of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The models can be divided into various groups: (i) genetically derived hyperactivity/ inattention, (ii) animal models showing symptoms after pharmacological intervention, and (iii) those based on spontaneous variations in a random population. Spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and Naples High Excitability (NHE) rats show behavioral traits featuring the main aspects of ADHD in humans but show different changes in dopamine (DA) systems. In fact, the enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase is hyperexpressed in NHE rats and hypoexpressed in SHR. The DA transporter is hyperexpressed in both lines, although in the SHR, DAT activity is low (reduced DA uptake). The DA levels in the striatum and prefrontal cortex are increased in the juvenile SHR, but are decreased in handled young and non-handled older animals. The mRNA of the D1 DA receptor is upregulated in the prefrontal cortex of SHR and downregulated in NHE. The D2 DA receptors are likely to be hypofunctioning in SHR, although the experimental evidence is not univocal, whereas their mRNA is hyperexpressed in NHE. Thus, in SHR both the mesocortical and mesolimbic DA pathways appear to be involved, whereas in NHE only the mesocortical system. To understand the effects of methylphenidate, the elective ADHD drug treatment in humans, in a dysfunctioning DA system, we realized a simple mathematical model of DA regulation based on experimental data from electrophysiological, cyclic voltammetry, and microdialysis studies. This model allows the estimation of a higher firing frequency of DA neurons in SHR rats and suggests that methylphenidate increases attentive processes by regulating the firing rate of DA neurons. PMID:15303308

Right prefrontal activation as a neuro-functional biomarker for monitoring acute effects of methylphenidate in ADHD children: An fNIRS study☆

PubMed Central

Monden, Yukifumi; Dan, Haruka; Nagashima, Masako; Dan, Ippeita; Tsuzuki, Daisuke; Kyutoku, Yasushi; Gunji, Yuji; Yamagata, Takanori; Watanabe, Eiju; Momoi, Mariko Y.

2012-01-01

An objective biomarker is a compelling need for the early diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as well as for the monitoring of pharmacological treatment effectiveness. The advent of fNIRS, which is relatively robust to the body movements of ADHD children, raised the possibility of introducing functional neuroimaging diagnosis in younger ADHD children. Using fNIRS, we monitored the oxy-hemoglobin signal changes of 16 ADHD children (6 to 13 years old) performing a go/no-go task before and 1.5 h after MPH or placebo administration, in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design. 16 age- and gender-matched normal controls without MPH administration were also monitored. Relative to control subjects, unmedicated ADHD children exhibited reduced activation in the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and middle frontal gyrus (MFG) during go/no-go tasks. The reduced right IFG/MFG activation was acutely normalized after MPH administration, but not after placebo administration. The MPH-induced right IFG/MFG activation was significantly larger than the placebo-induced activation. Post-scan exclusion rate was 0% among 16 right-handed ADHD children with IQ > 70. We revealed that the right IFG/MFG activation could serve as a neuro-functional biomarker for monitoring the acute effects of methylphenidate in ADHD children. fNIRS-based examinations were applicable to ADHD children as young as 6 years old, and thus would contribute to early clinical diagnosis and treatment of ADHD children. PMID:24179746

Attention deficits revealed by passive auditory change detection for pure tones and lexical tones in ADHD children.

PubMed

Yang, Ming-Tao; Hsu, Chun-Hsien; Yeh, Pei-Wen; Lee, Wang-Tso; Liang, Jao-Shwann; Fu, Wen-Mei; Lee, Chia-Ying

2015-01-01

Inattention (IA) has been a major problem in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), accounting for their behavioral and cognitive dysfunctions. However, there are at least three processing steps underlying attentional control for auditory change detection, namely pre-attentive change detection, involuntary attention orienting, and attention reorienting for further evaluation. This study aimed to examine whether children with ADHD would show deficits in any of these subcomponents by using mismatch negativity (MMN), P3a, and late discriminative negativity (LDN) as event-related potential (ERP) markers, under the passive auditory oddball paradigm. Two types of stimuli-pure tones and Mandarin lexical tones-were used to examine if the deficits were general across linguistic and non-linguistic domains. Participants included 15 native Mandarin-speaking children with ADHD and 16 age-matched controls (across groups, age ranged between 6 and 15 years). Two passive auditory oddball paradigms (lexical tones and pure tones) were applied. The pure tone oddball paradigm included a standard stimulus (1000 Hz, 80%) and two deviant stimuli (1015 and 1090 Hz, 10% each). The Mandarin lexical tone oddball paradigm's standard stimulus was /yi3/ (80%) and two deviant stimuli were /yi1/ and /yi2/ (10% each). The results showed no MMN difference, but did show attenuated P3a and enhanced LDN to the large deviants for both pure and lexical tone changes in the ADHD group. Correlation analysis showed that children with higher ADHD tendency, as indexed by parents' and teachers' ratings on ADHD symptoms, showed less positive P3a amplitudes when responding to large lexical tone deviants. Thus, children with ADHD showed impaired auditory change detection for both pure tones and lexical tones in both involuntary attention switching, and attention reorienting for further evaluation. These ERP markers may therefore be used for the evaluation of anti-ADHD drugs that aim to

Perinatal Problems and Psychiatric Comorbidity Among Children with ADHD

PubMed Central

Owens, Elizabeth B.; Hinshaw, Stephen P.

2013-01-01

Objective Among two large, independent samples of girls with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), we examined associations between specific (maternal gestational smoking and drug use, early labor, low birth weight, and infant breathing problems at birth) and cumulative prenatal and perinatal risk factors and psychiatric comorbidity during childhood. Method Data from the (a) Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD, a randomized clinical trial with 579 children aged 7 to 9.9 years with combined-type ADHD, and the (b) Berkeley Girls ADHD Longitudinal Sample, a naturalistic study of 140 girls with ADHD (93 combined-type and 47 inattentive-type) who were first seen when they were 6 to 12 years old, were analyzed separately. In each sample, perinatal risk factors were assessed retrospectively by maternal report, and current childhood psychiatric comorbidity was assessed using maternal report on the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children. Results Consistent findings across these two studies show that infant breathing problems, early labor, and total perinatal problems predicted childhood comorbid depression but not comorbid anxiety or externalizing disorders. These associations remained significant, in both samples, with control of family SES and maternal symptoms of ADHD and depression. Results attenuated slightly with control of the number of child comorbidities plus SES and maternal symptoms. Conclusion Accumulating evidence suggests that perinatal risk factors are important precursors of childhood psychiatric comorbidity and that the association between these risk factors and detrimental psychiatric outcomes cannot be explained by maternal psychiatric symptoms or SES during childhood. PMID:23581554

Pathophysiology of ADHD and associated problems—starting points for NF interventions?

PubMed Central

Albrecht, Björn; Uebel-von Sandersleben, Henrik; Gevensleben, Holger; Rothenberger, Aribert

2015-01-01

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterized by severe and age-inappropriate levels of hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention. ADHD is a heterogeneous disorder, and the majority of patients show comorbid or associated problems from other psychiatric disorders. Also, ADHD is associated with cognitive and motivational problems as well as resting-state abnormalities, associated with impaired brain activity in distinct neuronal networks. This needs to be considered in a multimodal treatment, of which neurofeedback (NF) may be a promising component. During NF, specific brain activity is fed-back using visual or auditory signals, allowing the participants to gain control over these otherwise unaware neuronal processes. NF may be used to directly improve underlying neuronal deficits, and/or to establish more general self-regulatory skills that may be used to compensate behavioral difficulties. The current manuscript describes pathophysiological characteristics of ADHD, heterogeneity of ADHD subtypes and gender differences, as well as frequently associated behavioral problems such as oppositional defiant/conduct or tic disorder. It is discussed how NF may be helpful as a treatment approach within these contexts. PMID:26157377

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Controversy, Developmental Mechanisms, and Multiple Levels of Analysis.

PubMed

Hinshaw, Stephen P

2018-05-07

Controversy abounds regarding the symptom dimensions of attention problems, impulsivity, and hyperactivity, developmentally extreme and impairing levels of which compose the diagnostic category of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). I highlight causal factors, underlying mechanisms, developmental trajectories, and female manifestations of ADHD, integrating the psychobiological underpinnings of this syndrome with contextual factors related to its clinical presentation, impairments, and soaring increases in diagnosed prevalence. Indeed, despite strong heritability, ADHD is expressed via transactional patterns of influence linked to family-, school-, peer-, neighborhood-, and policy-related factors. Moreover, intervention strategies must take into account both pharmacologic and behavioral modalities if the goal is to enhance competencies, rather than symptom reduction per se. A comprehensive understanding of ADHD mandates multiple levels of analysis-spanning genes, neurotransmission, brain pathways, individual skill levels, family socialization, peer relationships, and educational and cultural forces-which must be integrated and synthesized to surpass reductionist accounts, reduce stigma, and maximize the impact of prevention- and intervention-related efforts.

Stimulant ADHD medication and risk for substance abuse

PubMed Central

Chang, Zheng; Lichtenstein, Paul; Halldner, Linda; D’Onofrio, Brian; Serlachius, Eva; Fazel, Seena; Långström, Niklas; Larsson, Henrik

2013-01-01

Background There are persistent concerns of long-term effects of stimulant ADHD medication on the development of substance abuse. Methods Using Swedish national registers, we studied all individuals born 1960–1998 and diagnosed with ADHD (26,249 men and 12,504 women). We investigated the association between stimulant ADHD medication in 2006 and substance abuse during 2009. Substance abuse was indexed by substance-related death, crime, or hospital visits. Results ADHD medication was not associated with increased rate of substance abuse. Actually, the rate during 2009 was 31% lower among those prescribed ADHD medication in 2006, even after controlling for medication in 2009 and other covariates (hazard ratio: 0.69; 95% confidence interval: 0.57–0.84). Also the longer duration of medication, the lower the rate of substance abuse. Similar risk reductions were suggested among children and when investigating the association between stimulant ADHD medication and concomitant short-term abuse. Conclusions We found no indication of increased risks of substance abuse among individuals prescribed stimulant ADHD medication; if anything, the data suggested a long-term protective effect on substance abuse. Although stimulant ADHD medication does not seem to increase the risk for substance abuse, clinicians should remain alert to the potential problem of stimulant misuse and diversion in ADHD patients. PMID:25158998

Financial Dependence of Young Adults with Childhood ADHD.

PubMed

Altszuler, Amy R; Page, Timothy F; Gnagy, Elizabeth M; Coxe, Stefany; Arrieta, Alejandro; Molina, Brooke S G; Pelham, William E

2016-08-01

This study used data from the Pittsburgh ADHD Longitudinal Study (PALS) to evaluate financial outcomes of young adults (YA) with ADHD relative to comparisons. Participants for this study included 309 individuals who had been diagnosed with ADHD (DSM-III-R or DSM-IV) in childhood and 208 comparison YA without childhood ADHD diagnoses (total N = 517) who were followed through age 25. Participants were predominately male (88 %) and Caucasian (84 %). Diagnostic interviews were conducted in childhood. Young adults and their parents reported on financial outcomes and a number of predictor variables. Young adults with ADHD experienced greater financial dependence on family members (p < 0.05) and the welfare system (p < 0.01) and had lower earnings (p < 0.05) than comparisons. ADHD diagnostic status, education attainment, and delinquency were significant predictors of financial outcomes. A projection of lifetime earnings indicated that ADHD group participants could expect to earn $543,000-$616,000 less over their lifetimes than comparisons. Due to the propensity of individuals with ADHD to underreport problems, the data are likely to be underestimates. These findings support the need for interventions to improve labor market outcomes as well as the development of interventions that target the management of personal finances for individuals with ADHD in young adulthood.

Financial Dependence of Young Adults with Childhood ADHD

PubMed Central

Altszuler, Amy R.; Page, Timothy F.; Gnagy, Elizabeth M.; Coxe, Stefany; Arrieta, Alejandro; Molina, Brooke S. G.; Pelham, William E.

2016-01-01

This study used data from the Pittsburgh ADHD Longitudinal Study (PALS) to evaluate financial outcomes of young adults (YA) with ADHD relative to comparisons. Participants for this study included 309 individuals who had been diagnosed with ADHD (DSM-III-R or DSM-IV) in childhood and 208 comparison YA without childhood ADHD diagnoses (total N=517) who were followed through age 25. Participants were predominately male (88 %) and Caucasian (84 %). Diagnostic interviews were conducted in childhood. Young adults and their parents reported on financial outcomes and a number of predictor variables. Young adults with ADHD experienced greater financial dependence on family members (p<0.05) and the welfare system (p<0.01) and had lower earnings (p<0.05) than comparisons. ADHD diagnostic status, education attainment, and delinquency were significant predictors of financial outcomes. A projection of lifetime earnings indicated that ADHD group participants could expect to earn $543,000–$616,000 less over their lifetimes than comparisons. Due to the propensity of individuals with ADHD to underreport problems, the data are likely to be underestimates. These findings support the need for interventions to improve labor market outcomes as well as the development of interventions that target the management of personal finances for individuals with ADHD in young adulthood. PMID:26542688

Susceptibility of functional impairment scales to noncredible responses in the clinical evaluation of adult ADHD.

PubMed

Fuermaier, Anselm B M; Tucha, Oliver; Koerts, Janneke; Butzbach, Marah; Weisbrod, Matthias; Aschenbrenner, Steffen; Tucha, Lara

2018-05-01

A growing body of research questions the reliance of symptom self-reports in the clinical evaluation of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adulthood. A recent study suggested that also impairment reports are vulnerable to noncredible responses, as derived from a simulation design using a global functional impairment scale. The present study aims to add evidence to this issue, by using an ADHD specific impairment scale in a simulation design on large samples. Impairment ratings on the Weiss Functional Impairment Rating Scale (WFIRS) of 62 patients with ADHD were compared to 142 healthy individuals who were instructed to show normal behavior. Furthermore, impairment ratings of patients with ADHD were compared to ratings of 330 healthy individuals who were randomly assigned to one of four simulation conditions that were instructed to complete the scale as if they had ADHD. Patients with ADHD reported higher levels of impairment than the healthy control group in all domains of life. Furthermore, individuals instructed to feign ADHD indicated higher levels of impairments in most domains of life compared to control participants and genuine patients with ADHD. The group differences between individuals feigning ADHD and individuals with genuine ADHD, however, were only small to moderate. Further analyses revealed that the WFRIS was not useful to successfully differentiate genuine from feigned ADHD. The present study confirms the conclusion that self-reported impairments are susceptible to noncredible responses and should be used with caution in the clinical evaluation of adult ADHD.

[Diagnostic of ADHD in childhood and adolescence with the K-SADS-PL].

PubMed

Schmidt, Sören; Banaschewski, Tobias; Garbe, Edeltraut; Petermann, Franz; Petermann, Ulrike

2013-01-01

Attention Deficit-/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders in childhood and adolescence, often accompanied by comorbid disorders. A high standard of diagnostic assessment combined with a demand for valid diagnostic instruments is necessary. The K-SADS-PL is an established semi-structured interview, focusing on the categorical assessment of psychiatric disorders. The aim of the following study was to examine specific characteristics of ADHD symptomatology including functional and behavioral assessment. Therefore correlations between the result in a diagnostic interview (K-SADS-PL) and different ADHD-specific instruments were performed. Groups were formed (exposed vs. unexposed), based on the diagnostic finding in the K-SADS-PL. Group-specific test score differences were calculated and compared by multivariate analyses of covariance. Children with ADHD showed a significantly higher impact of conduct and emotional problems than the unexposed group. Health related quality of life was more impaired in children and families suffering from ADHD which refers to the relevance of family-oriented psychotherapy.

Bulimia nervosa symptoms in the multimodal treatment study of children with ADHD.

PubMed

Mikami, Amori Yee; Hinshaw, Stephen P; Arnold, L Eugene; Hoza, Betsy; Hechtman, Lily; Newcorn, Jeffrey H; Abikoff, Howard B

2010-04-01

We investigated body image dissatisfaction and bingeing/purging characteristics of bulimia nervosa (BN) in the ongoing prospective follow-up of the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Participants were 337 boys and 95 girls with ADHD and 211 boys and 53 girls forming a local normative comparison group (LNCG), reassessed in midadolescence (mean age, 16.4), 8 years after original recruitment. Youth with childhood ADHD showed more BN symptoms in midadolescence than did LNCG youth, and girls demonstrated more BN symptoms than did boys, with effect sizes between small and medium. Childhood impulsivity, as opposed to hyperactivity or inattention, best predicted adolescent BN symptoms, particularly for girls. Among youth with ADHD, treatment received during the follow-up period was not associated with BN pathology. Both boys and girls with ADHD may be at risk for BN symptoms in adolescence because of the impulsivity central to both disorders.

Cyclin-dependent Kinase 5: Novel role of gene variants identified in ADHD.

PubMed

Maitra, Subhamita; Chatterjee, Mahasweta; Sinha, Swagata; Mukhopadhyay, Kanchan

2017-07-28

Cortical neuronal migration and formation of filamentous actin cytoskeleton, needed for development, normal cell growth and differentiation, are regulated by the cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with delayed maturation of the brain and hence we hypothesized that cdk5 may have a role in ADHD. Eight functional CDK5 gene variants were analyzed in 848 Indo-Caucasoid individuals including 217 families with ADHD probands and 250 healthy volunteers. Only three variants, rs2069454, rs2069456 and rs2069459, predicted to affect transcription, were found to be bimorphic. Significant difference in rs2069456 "AC" genotype frequency was noticed in the probands, more specifically in the males. Family based analysis revealed over transmission of rs2069454 "C" and rs2069456 "A" to the probands. Quantitative trait analysis exhibited association of haplotypes with inattention, domain specific impulsivity, and behavioral problem, though no significant contribution was noticed on the age of onset of ADHD. Gene variants also showed significant association with cognitive function and co-morbidity. Probands having rs2069459 "TT" showed betterment during follow up. It may be inferred from this pilot study that CDK5 may affect ADHD etiology, possibly by attenuating synaptic neurotransmission and could be a useful target for therapeutic intervention.

Neurofeedback Training Effects on Inhibitory Brain Activation in ADHD: A Matter of Learning?

PubMed

Baumeister, Sarah; Wolf, Isabella; Holz, Nathalie; Boecker-Schlier, Regina; Adamo, Nicoletta; Holtmann, Martin; Ruf, Matthias; Banaschewski, Tobias; Hohmann, Sarah; Brandeis, Daniel

2018-05-15

Neurofeedback training (NF) is a promising non-pharmacological treatment for ADHD that has been associated with improvement of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-related symptoms as well as changes in electrophysiological measures. However, the functional localization of neural changes following NF compared to an active control condition, and of successful learning during training (considered to be the critical mechanism for improvement), remains largely unstudied. Children with ADHD (N=16, mean age: 11.81, SD: 1.47) were randomly assigned to either slow cortical potential (SCP, n=8) based NF or biofeedback control training (electromyogram feedback, n=8) and performed a combined Flanker/NoGo task pre- and post-training. Effects of NF, compared to the active control, and of learning in transfer trials (approximating successful transfer to everyday life) were examined with respect to clinical outcome and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) changes during inhibitory control. After 20 sessions of training, children in the NF group presented reduced ADHD symptoms and increased activation in areas associated with inhibitory control compared to baseline. Subjects who were successful learners (n=9) also showed increased activation in an extensive inhibitory network irrespective of the type of training. Activation increased in an extensive inhibitory network following NF training, and following successful learning through NF and control biofeedback. Although this study was only powered to detect large effects and clearly requires replication in larger samples, the results suggest a crucial role for learning effects in biofeedback trainings. Copyright © 2016 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Childhood ADHD and Adolescent Substance Use: An Examination of Deviant Peer Group Affiliation as a Risk Factor

PubMed Central

Marshal, Michael P.; Molina, Brooke S. G.; Pelham, William E.

2009-01-01

Deviant peer group affiliation was evaluated as a risk factor for substance use in adolescents with childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Results showed that deviant peer affiliation mediated the relationship between ADHD and substance use, suggesting that children with ADHD are more likely than children without ADHD to become involved with deviant peers and, as a result, more likely to use substances. Moreover, the relationship between deviant peer affiliation and substance use was stronger for adolescents with ADHD, suggesting that once they are immersed in a deviant peer group, adolescents with ADHD are more vulnerable to the negative social influences of that group. This study is the first step in identifying high-risk pathways from childhood ADHD to substance use in adolescence. PMID:14640825

[Is emotional dysregulation a component of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)?].

PubMed

Villemonteix, T; Purper-Ouakil, D; Romo, L

2015-04-01

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common neurodevelopmental disorder in children and adolescents. It is characterized by age-inappropriate inattention/impulsiveness and/or hyperactivity symptoms. ADHD shows a high comorbidity with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), a disorder that features symptoms of emotional lability. Due to this comorbidity, emotional lability was long considered a secondary consequence of ADHD, which could arise under the influence of environmental factors such as inefficient parenting practices, as part of an ODD diagnosis. In this model of heterotypic continuity, emotional lability was considered not to play any causal role regarding ADHD symptomatology. As opposed to this view, it is now well established that a large number of children with ADHD and without any comorbid disorder exhibit symptoms of emotional lability. Furthermore, recent studies have found that negative emotionality accounts for significant unique variance in ADHD symptom severity, along with motor-perceptual and executive function deficits. Barkley proposed that ADHD is characterized by deficits of executive functions, and that a deficiency in the executive control of emotions is a necessary component of ADHD. According to this theory, the extent to which an individual with ADHD displays a deficiency in behavioral inhibition is the extent to which he or she will automatically display an equivalent degree of deficiency in emotional inhibition. However, not all children with ADHD exhibit symptoms of emotional lability, and studies have found that the association between emotional lability and ADHD was not mediated by executive function or motivational deficits. Task-based and resting state neuroimaging studies have disclosed an altered effective connectivity between regions dedicated to emotional regulation in children with ADHD when compared to typically developing children, notably between the amygdala, the prefrontal cortex, the hippocampus and

Cortical deficits of emotional face processing in adults with ADHD: its relation to social cognition and executive function.

PubMed

Ibáñez, Agustin; Petroni, Agustin; Urquina, Hugo; Torrente, Fernando; Torralva, Teresa; Hurtado, Esteban; Guex, Raphael; Blenkmann, Alejandro; Beltrachini, Leandro; Muravchik, Carlos; Baez, Sandra; Cetkovich, Marcelo; Sigman, Mariano; Lischinsky, Alicia; Manes, Facundo

2011-01-01

Although it has been shown that adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have impaired social cognition, no previous study has reported the brain correlates of face valence processing. This study looked for behavioral, neuropsychological, and electrophysiological markers of emotion processing for faces (N170) in adult ADHD compared to controls matched by age, gender, educational level, and handedness. We designed an event-related potential (ERP) study based on a dual valence task (DVT), in which faces and words were presented to test the effects of stimulus type (faces, words, or face-word stimuli) and valence (positive versus negative). Individual signatures of cognitive functioning in participants with ADHD and controls were assessed with a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation, including executive functioning (EF) and theory of mind (ToM). Compared to controls, the adult ADHD group showed deficits in N170 emotion modulation for facial stimuli. These N170 impairments were observed in the absence of any deficit in facial structural processing, suggesting a specific ADHD impairment in early facial emotion modulation. The cortical current density mapping of N170 yielded a main neural source of N170 at posterior section of fusiform gyrus (maximum at left hemisphere for words and right hemisphere for faces and simultaneous stimuli). Neural generators of N170 (fusiform gyrus) were reduced in ADHD. In those patients, N170 emotion processing was associated with performance on an emotional inference ToM task, and N170 from simultaneous stimuli was associated with EF, especially working memory. This is the first report to reveal an adult ADHD-specific impairment in the cortical modulation of emotion for faces and an association between N170 cortical measures and ToM and EF.

Impairment of Concept Formation Ability in Children with ADHD: Comparisons between Lower Grades and Higher Grades

PubMed Central

Hong, Hye Jeong; Kim, Jin Sung; Seo, Wan Seok; Koo, Bon Hoon; Bai, Dai Seg; Jeong, Jin Young

2010-01-01

Objective We investigated executive functions (EFs), as evaluated by the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), and other EF between lower grades (LG) and higher grades (HG) in elementary-school-age attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) children. Methods We classified a sample of 112 ADHD children into 4 groups (composed of 28 each) based on age (LG vs. HG) and WCST performance [lower vs. higher performance on WCST, defined by the number of completed categories (CC)] Participants in each group were matched according to age, gender, ADHD subtype, and intelligence. We used the Wechsler intelligence Scale for Children 3rd edition to test intelligence and the Computerized Neurocognitive Function Test-IV, which included the WCST, to test EF. Results Comparisons of EFs scores in LG ADHD children showed statistically significant differences in performing digit spans backward, some verbal learning scores, including all memory scores, and Stroop test scores. However, comparisons of EF scores in HG ADHD children did not show any statistically significant differences. Correlation analyses of the CC and EF variables and stepwise multiple regression analysis in LG ADHD children showed a combination of the backward form of the Digit span test and Visual span test in lower-performance ADHD participants significantly predicted the number of CC (R2=0.273, p<0.001). Conclusion This study suggests that the design of any battery of neuropsychological tests for measuring EF in ADHD children should first consider age before interpreting developmental variations and neuropsychological test results. Researchers should consider the dynamics of relationships within EF, as measured by neuropsychological tests. PMID:20927306

Preliminary fMRI findings on the effects of event rate in adults with ADHD.

PubMed

Kooistra, Libbe; van der Meere, Jaap J; Edwards, Jodi D; Kaplan, Bonnie J; Crawford, Susan; Goodyear, Bradley G

2010-05-01

Inhibition problems in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are sensitive to stimulus event rate. This pilot study explores the neural basis of this increased susceptibility to event rate in ADHD. Event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging was used in conjunction with the administration of a fast (1.5 s) and a slow (7 s) Go/No-Go task. Brain activity patterns and reaction times of ten young male adults with ADHD (two of whom were in partial remission) and ten healthy male controls were compared. The ADHD group responded slower than controls with greater variability but with similar number of errors. Accurate response inhibition in the ADHD group in the slow condition was associated with widespread fronto-striatal activation, including the thalamus. For correct Go trials only, the ADHD group compared with controls showed substantial under-activation in the slow condition. The observed abnormal brain activation in the slow condition in adults with ADHD supports a fronto-striatal etiology, and underlines a presumed activation regulation deficit. Larger sample sizes to further validate these preliminary findings are needed.

Stress, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and tobacco smoking: The i-Share study.

PubMed

Galéra, C; Salla, J; Montagni, I; Hanne-Poujade, S; Salamon, R; Grondin, O; Guichard, E; Bouvard, M P; Tzourio, C; Michel, G

2017-09-01

The contribution of mental health to the risk of smoking is increasingly acknowledged but still insufficiently studied during the key period of student life. In particular, the simultaneous action of stress and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms on the risk of smoking remains poorly understood. To assess the effects of stress and ADHD symptoms on tobacco smoking. Multivariate modeling was conducted on the French i-Share study (n=8110, median age 20.3 years, 74.8% females, 32.9% regular/occasional smokers) to evaluate the associations between stress, ADHD symptoms and tobacco smoking, adjusting for potential family/socio-demographic confounders. Students with high levels of stress were more likely to smoke>10 cigarettes/day (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 1.48, 95% CI: 1.12-1.96) than those with low levels of stress. Students with high levels of ADHD symptoms were more likely to smoke>10 cigarettes/day (aOR: 2.08, 95% CI: 1.58-2.75) than those with low levels of ADHD symptoms. Stress and ADHD contribute independently to the risk of smoking. Interventions targeting each condition are likely to reduce the burden of tobacco use in students. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

Prenatal Exposure to Acetaminophen and Risk of ADHD.

PubMed

Ystrom, Eivind; Gustavson, Kristin; Brandlistuen, Ragnhild Eek; Knudsen, Gun Peggy; Magnus, Per; Susser, Ezra; Davey Smith, George; Stoltenberg, Camilla; Surén, Pål; Håberg, Siri E; Hornig, Mady; Lipkin, W Ian; Nordeng, Hedvig; Reichborn-Kjennerud, Ted

2017-11-01

To estimate the association between maternal use of acetaminophen during pregnancy and of paternal use before pregnancy with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in offspring while adjusting for familial risk for ADHD and indications of acetaminophen use. Diagnoses were obtained from the Norwegian Patient Registry for 112 973 offspring from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study, including 2246 with ADHD. We estimated hazard ratios (HRs) for an ADHD diagnosis by using Cox proportional hazard models. After adjusting for maternal use of acetaminophen before pregnancy, familial risk for ADHD, and indications of acetaminophen use, we observed a modest association between any prenatal maternal use of acetaminophen in 1 (HR = 1.07; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.96-1.19), 2 (HR = 1.22; 95% CI 1.07-1.38), and 3 trimesters (HR = 1.27; 95% CI 0.99-1.63). The HR for more than 29 days of maternal acetaminophen use was 2.20 (95% CI 1.50-3.24). Use for <8 days was negatively associated with ADHD (HR = 0.90; 95% CI 0.81-1.00). Acetaminophen use for fever and infections for 22 to 28 days was associated with ADHD (HR = 6.15; 95% CI 1.71-22.05). Paternal and maternal use of acetaminophen were similarly associated with ADHD. Short-term maternal use of acetaminophen during pregnancy was negatively associated with ADHD in offspring. Long-term maternal use of acetaminophen during pregnancy was substantially associated with ADHD even after adjusting for indications of use, familial risk of ADHD, and other potential confounders. Copyright © 2017 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The Diversity of Attention Deficits in ADHD: The Prevalence of Four Cognitive Factors in ADHD Versus Controls

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsal, Yehoshua; Shalev, Lilach; Mevorach, Carmel

2005-01-01

The performance of participants with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) relative to control participants was measured on four tasks uniquely assessing the functions of selective attention, executive attention, sustained attention, and orienting of attention. The results showed that deficits in sustained attention were the most…

Impact of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) treatment on smoking cessation intervention in ADHD smokers: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

PubMed

Winhusen, Theresa M; Somoza, Eugene C; Brigham, Gregory S; Liu, David S; Green, Carla A; Covey, Lirio S; Croghan, Ivana T; Adler, Lenard A; Weiss, Roger D; Leimberger, Jeffrey D; Lewis, Daniel F; Dorer, Emily M

2010-12-01

High smoking rates in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and nicotine's amelioration of ADHD suggest that effective ADHD treatment might facilitate abstinence in smokers with ADHD. The present study evaluated if using osmotic-release oral system methylphenidate (OROS-MPH) to treat ADHD enhances response to smoking cessation treatment in smokers with ADHD. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 11-week trial with a 1-month follow-up was conducted at 6 clinical sites between December 2005 and January 2008. Adults (aged 18-55 years) meeting DSM-IV criteria for ADHD and interested in quitting smoking were randomly assigned to OROS-MPH titrated to 72 mg/d (n = 127) or placebo (n = 128). All participants received brief weekly individual smoking cessation counseling for 11 weeks and 21 mg/d nicotine patches starting on the smoking quit day (day 27) through study week 11. Outcome measures included prolonged smoking abstinence and DSM-IV ADHD Rating Scale (ADHD-RS) score. Of 255 randomly assigned participants, 204 (80%) completed the trial. Prolonged abstinence rates, 43.3% and 42.2%, for the OROS-MPH and placebo groups, respectively, did not differ significantly (OR = 1.1; 95% CI, 0.63-1.79; P = .81). Relative to placebo, OROS-MPH evidenced a greater reduction in DSM-IV ADHD-RS score (P < .0001) and in cigarettes per day during the post-quit phase (P = .016). Relative to placebo, OROS-MPH increased blood pressure and heart rate to a statistically, but not clinically, significant degree (P < .05); medication discontinuation did not differ significantly between treatments. Treatment for ADHD did not improve smoking cessation success; OROS-MPH, relative to placebo, effectively treated ADHD and was safe and generally well tolerated in this healthy sample of adult ADHD smokers. clinical trials.gov Identifier: NCT00253747. © Copyright 2010 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.

Evidence for Shared Genetic Risk between ADHD Symptoms and Reduced Mathematics Ability: A Twin Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greven, Corina U.; Kovas, Yulia; Willcutt, Erik G.; Petrill, Stephen A.; Plomin, Robert

2013-01-01

Background: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and mathematics ability are associated, but little is known about the genetic and environmental influences underlying this association. Methods: Data came from more than 6,000 twelve-year-old twin pairs from the UK population-representative Twins Early Development Study. Parents…

The Neurobiological Profile of Girls with ADHD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mahone, E. Mark; Wodka, Ericka L.

2008-01-01

Since boys are more commonly diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) than girls, the majority of theories and published research studies of ADHD have been based on samples comprised primarily (or exclusively) of boys. While psychosocial impairment in girls with ADHD is well established, the neuropsychological and…

Reading Comprehension in Children with ADHD: Cognitive Underpinnings of the Centrality Deficit

PubMed Central

Miller, Amanda C.; Keenan, Janice M.; Betjemann, Rebecca S.; Willcutt, Erik; Pennington, Bruce F.; Olson, Richard K.

2012-01-01

We examined reading comprehension in children with ADHD by assessing their ability to build a coherent mental representation that allows them to recall central and peripheral information. We compared children with ADHD (mean age 9.78) to word reading-matched controls (mean age 9.89) on their ability to retell a passage. We found that even though children with ADHD recalled more central than peripheral information, they showed their greatest deficit, relative to controls, on central information – a centrality deficit (Miller & Keenan, 2009). We explored the cognitive underpinnings of this deficit using regressions to compare how well cognitive factors (working memory, inhibition, processing speed, and IQ) predicted the ability to recall central information, after controlling for word reading ability, and whether these cognitive factors interacted with ADHD symptoms. Working memory accounted for the most unique variance. Although previous evidence for reading comprehension difficulties in children with ADHD have been mixed, this study suggests that even when word reading ability is controlled, children with ADHD have difficulty building a coherent mental representation, and this difficulty is likely related to deficits in working memory. PMID:23054132

Inattentive/overactive children with histories of profound institutional deprivation compared with standard ADHD cases: a brief report.

PubMed

Sonuga-Barke, E J S; Rubia, K

2008-09-01

The Inattention/Overactivity/Impulsiveness (I/OA) behavioural cluster diagnostic of ADHD is recognized as a characteristic outcome of early institutional care. We compared the symptom and neuropsychological profiles of children with a history of I/OA and early severe deprivation (D-I/OA: n=13) with standard clinical ADHD cases (S-ADHD; N=20) and children who had experienced deprivation but were not pervasively I/OA (ERA-controls; n=22). The mean age of testing was around 13 years. D-I/OA and ERA-controls were selected from the English and Romanian Adoptees (ERA) study and had spent their early lives in the extremely depriving Romanian institutions of the Ceausescu regime and were later adopted into UK families. ADHD symptoms for male D-I/OA and S-ADHD cases showed marked similarities across symptom domains. In contrast, girls with D-I/OA were more similar to ERA controls than to ADHD cases. Longitudinal data suggested that this was due to a remission of symptoms in D-I/OA girls. Neuropsychological profiles of males and females with D-I/OA, however, were similar: both were more impaired than S-ADHD and ERA controls. Children with D-I/OA were more neuropsychologically impaired than S-ADHD despite the fact that only boys showed a persistent pattern of ADHD symptoms. These results need replication in a larger sample with groups matched for gender.

Stimulant-Responsive and Stimulant-Refractory Aggressive Behavior Among Children with ADHD

PubMed Central

Blader, Joseph C.; Pliszka, Steven R.; Jensen, Peter S.; Schooler, Nina R.; Kafantaris, Vivian

2010-01-01

OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to examine factors that are associated with aggression that is responsive versus refractory to individualized optimization of stimulant monotherapy among children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHODS Children who were aged 6 to 13 years and had ADHD, either oppositional defiant disorder or conduct disorder, significant aggressive behavior, and a history of insufficient response to stimulants completed an open stimulant monotherapy optimization protocol. Stimulant titration with weekly assessments of behavior and tolerability identified an optimal regimen for each child. Families also received behavioral therapy. Parents completed the Retrospective-Modified Overt Aggression Scale (R-MOAS) at each visit. Children were classified as having stimulant-refractory aggression on the basis of R-MOAS ratings and clinician judgment. Differences that pertained to treatment, demographic, and psychopathology between groups with stimulant monotherapy–responsive and –refractory aggression were evaluated. RESULTS Aggression among 32 (49.3%) of 65 children was reduced sufficiently after stimulant dosage adjustment and behavioral therapy to preclude adjunctive medication. Those who responded to stimulant monotherapy were more likely to benefit from the protocol’s methylphenidate preparation (once-daily, triphasic release), showed a trend for lower average dosages, and received fewer behavioral therapy sessions than did children with stimulant-refractory aggression. Boys, especially those with higher ratings of baseline aggression and of depressive and manic symptoms, more often exhibited stimulant-refractory aggression. CONCLUSIONS Among children whose aggressive behavior develops in the context of ADHD and of oppositional defiant disorder or conduct disorder, and who had insufficient response to previous stimulant treatment in routine clinical care, systematic, well-monitored titration of stimulant monotherapy

Sleep problems in pediatric epilepsy and ADHD: The impact of comorbidity.

PubMed

Ekinci, Ozalp; Okuyaz, Çetin; Gunes, Serkan; Ekinci, Nuran; Kalınlı, Merve; Tan, Muhammet Emin; Teke, Halenur; Direk, Meltem Çobanoğulları; Erdoğan, Semra

2017-06-01

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a frequent comorbidity in pediatric epilepsy. Although sleep problems are commonly reported in both children with primary ADHD and epilepsy, those with epilepsy-ADHD comorbidity have not been well studied. This study aimed to compare sleep problems among three groups of children: 1) children with epilepsy, 2) children with epilepsy and ADHD (epilepsy-ADHD), and 3) children with primary ADHD. 53 children with epilepsy, 35 children with epilepsy-ADHD, and 52 children with primary ADHD completed the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ). Neurology clinic charts were reviewed for the epilepsy-related variables. ADHD subtypes were diagnosed according to the DSM-IV. Children with epilepsy-ADHD had the highest CSHQ total scores, while children with primary ADHD had higher scores than those with epilepsy. Besides the total score, epilepsy-ADHD group differed from the primary ADHD and epilepsy groups with higher CSHQ subscores on sleep onset delay and sleep anxiety. The frequency of moderate-severe sleep problems (CSHQ>56) was 62.9% in children with epilepsy-ADHD, while it was 40.4% and 26.4% in children with primary ADHD and epilepsy, respectively. CSHQ total scores were not different between ADHD subtypes in both children with epilepsy-ADHD and those with primary ADHD. None of the epilepsy-related variables were found to be associated with CSHQ scores. Epilepsy-ADHD is associated with a significantly poor sleep quality which is beyond that of primary ADHD and epilepsy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Is Paternal Smoking at Conception a Risk for ADHD? A Controlled Study in Youth With and Without ADHD.

PubMed

Biederman, Joseph; Fitzgerald, Maura; Spencer, Thomas J; Bhide, Pradeep G; McCarthy, Deirdre M; Woodworth, K Yvonne; Saunders, Alexandra; Faraone, Stephen V

2017-02-01

Based on emerging preclinical findings suggesting that paternal smoking at conception may be a risk for ADHD in the offspring, we investigated whether a similar effect can be observed in humans. We analyzed data from an opportunistic dataset of girl probands with ( N = 140) and without ( N = 122) ADHD with available information on paternal smoking at conception. Data were analyzed using Pearson's chi-square tests and multiple logistic regression. ADHD probands had a significantly higher rate of paternal smoking at conception than controls (35% vs. 23%, χ 2 = 3.82, p = .05) with a significant odds ratio of 1.5. However, the association lost significance after controlling for paternal ADHD, most likely due to limited statistical power. While preliminary, findings suggest that paternal smoking at conception may be a risk factor for ADHD in the offspring.

Observed Free-Play Patterns of Children with ADHD and Their Real-Life Friends.

PubMed

Normand, Sébastien; Soucisse, Marie Michèle; Melançon, Marie Pier Vézina; Schneider, Barry H; Lee, Matthew D; Maisonneuve, Marie-France

2018-04-26

Previous observational studies conducted in highly structured, analog situations indicate that children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) mismanage their relationships with same-age peers and friends. Such structured situations may not, however, fully represent the true nature of children's play, which is typically characterized by free choice, intrinsic motivation, and spontaneity. The unique objective of the current observational study was to describe how 87 children with ADHD and 46 comparison (76% boys) aged 7-13 years behave when interacting with their real-life dyadic friends during an unstructured, free-play situation. Results indicate that dyads comprising one referred child with ADHD and an invited friend ("ADHD dyads") engaged in less cooperative play, displayed less companionship, and showed less sensitivity to friends than comparison dyads. ADHD dyads also engaged in more conflict and exhibited significantly more negative affect than comparison dyads. These findings complement and extend, possibly with somewhat enhanced ecological validity, results obtained in previous studies on the friendships of children with ADHD featuring closed-field observations and questionnaire methodology.

Prediction of methylphenidate treatment outcome in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

PubMed

Retz, Wolfgang; Retz-Junginger, Petra

2014-11-01

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a highly prevalent mental disorder of childhood, which often persists in adulthood. Methylphenidate (MPH) is one of the most effective medications to treat ADHD, but also few adult patients show no sufficient response to this drug. In this paper, we give an overview regarding genetic, neuroimaging, clinical and other studies which have tried to reveal the reasons for non-response in adults with ADHD, based on a systematic literature search. Although MPH is a well-established treatment for adults with ADHD, research regarding the prediction of treatment outcome is still limited and has resulted in inconsistent findings. No reliable neurobiological markers of treatment response have been identified so far. Some findings from clinical studies suggest that comorbidity with substance use disorders and personality disorders has an impact on treatment course and outcome. As MPH is widely used in the treatment of adults with ADHD, much more work is needed regarding positive and negative predictors of long-term treatment outcome in order to optimize the pharmacological treatment of adult ADHD patients.

Association analysis of norepinephrine transporter polymorphisms and methylphenidate response in ADHD patients.

PubMed

Angyal, Nora; Horvath, Erzsebet Zsofia; Tarnok, Zsanett; Richman, Mara J; Bognar, Emese; Lakatos, Krisztina; Sasvari-Szekely, Maria; Nemoda, Zsofia

2018-06-08

Methylphenidate (MPH) is the most frequently prescribed drug in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Hitherto mostly the dopamine transporter gene has been studied in MPH-response and only a few studies analyzed the norepinephrine transporter (NET, SLC6A2) gene, although MPH is a potent inhibitor of both dopamine and norepinephrine transporters. We aimed to analyze this monoamine transporter gene in relation to ADHD per se and MPH-response in particular to gain further knowledge in ADHD pharmacogenetics using a Caucasian sample. Six single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs28386840, rs2242446, rs3785143, rs3785157, rs5569, rs7194256 SNP) were studied across the NET gene in 163 ADHD children (age: 9.3±2.6; 86.5% male) using ADHD-RS hyperactivity-impulsivity and inattention scales. For case-control analysis 486 control subjects were also genotyped. At the MPH-response analysis responders had minimum 25% decrease of ADHD-RS total score after 2months of treatment, and chi-square test compared 90 responders and 32 non-responders, whereas ANOVA was used to assess symptom improvement after the first month among the 122 ADHD patients. The classical case-control analysis did not yield any association with ADHD diagnosis, which was supported by meta-analysis conducted on the available genetic data (combining previously published and the present studies). On the other hand, the intronic rs3785143 showed nominal association with inattention symptoms (p=0.01). The haplotype analysis supported this association, and indicated the importance of the first haploblock encompassing the intronic and 2 promoter SNPs. With MPH-response only the promoter rs28386840 showed nominal association: Those with at least one T-allele were overrepresented in the responder group (42% vs 19%, p=0.08), and they had better improvement on the hyperactivity-impulsivity scale compared to the AA genotype (p=0.04). Although none of our single SNP findings remained significant after correcting for

Problematic Peer Functioning in Girls with ADHD: A Systematic Literature Review

PubMed Central

Groen, Yvonne; Fuermaier, Anselm B. M.; Tucha, Oliver

2016-01-01

Objective Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) experience many peer interaction problems and are at risk of peer rejection and victimisation. Although many studies have investigated problematic peer functioning in children with ADHD, this research has predominantly focused on boys and studies investigating girls are scant. Those studies that did examine girls, often used a male comparison sample, disregarding the inherent gender differences between girls and boys. Previous studies have highlighted this limitation and recommended the need for comparisons between ADHD females and typical females, in order to elucidate the picture of female ADHD with regards to problematic peer functioning. The aim of this literature review was to gain insight into peer functioning difficulties in school-aged girls with ADHD. Methods PsychINFO, PubMed, and Web of Knowledge were searched for relevant literature comparing school-aged girls with ADHD to typically developing girls (TDs) in relation to peer functioning. The peer relationship domains were grouped into ‘friendship’, ‘peer status’, ‘social skills/competence’, and ‘peer victimisation and bullying’. In total, thirteen studies were included in the review. Results All of the thirteen studies included reported that girls with ADHD, compared to TD girls, demonstrated increased difficulties in the domains of friendship, peer interaction, social skills and functioning, peer victimization and externalising behaviour. Studies consistently showed small to medium effects for lower rates of friendship participation and stability in girls with ADHD relative to TD girls. Higher levels of peer rejection with small to large effect sizes were reported in all studies, which were predicted by girls’ conduct problems. Peer rejection in turn predicted poor social adjustment and a host of problem behaviours. Very high levels of peer victimisation were present in girls with ADHD with large effect sizes

Disorder-specific functional abnormalities during temporal discounting in youth with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism and comorbid ADHD and Autism.

PubMed

Chantiluke, Kaylita; Christakou, Anastasia; Murphy, Clodagh M; Giampietro, Vincent; Daly, Eileen M; Ecker, Christina; Brammer, Michael; Murphy, Declan G; Rubia, Katya

2014-08-30

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are often comorbid and share cognitive abnormalities in temporal foresight. A key question is whether shared cognitive phenotypes are based on common or different underlying pathophysiologies and whether comorbid patients have additive neurofunctional deficits, resemble one of the disorders or have a different pathophysiology. We compared age- and IQ-matched boys with non-comorbid ADHD (18), non-comorbid ASD (15), comorbid ADHD and ASD (13) and healthy controls (18) using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a temporal discounting task. Only the ASD and the comorbid groups discounted delayed rewards more steeply. The fMRI data showed both shared and disorder-specific abnormalities in the three groups relative to controls in their brain-behaviour associations. The comorbid group showed both unique and more severe brain-discounting associations than controls and the non-comorbid patient groups in temporal discounting areas of ventromedial and lateral prefrontal cortex, ventral striatum and anterior cingulate, suggesting that comorbidity is neither an endophenocopy of the two pure disorders nor an additive pathology. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Stimulant ADHD medication and risk for substance abuse.

PubMed

Chang, Zheng; Lichtenstein, Paul; Halldner, Linda; D'Onofrio, Brian; Serlachius, Eva; Fazel, Seena; Långström, Niklas; Larsson, Henrik

2014-08-01

There are persistent concerns of long-term effects of stimulant ADHD medication on the development of substance abuse. Using Swedish national registers, we studied all individuals born between 1960 and 1998 and diagnosed with ADHD (26,249 men and 12,504 women). We investigated the association between stimulant ADHD medication in 2006 and substance abuse during 2009. Substance abuse was indexed by substance-related death, crime, or hospital visits. ADHD medication was not associated with increased rate of substance abuse. Actually, the rate during 2009 was 31% lower among those prescribed ADHD medication in 2006, even after controlling for medication in 2009 and other covariates (hazard ratio: 0.69; 95% confidence interval: 0.57-0.84). Also, the longer the duration of medication, the lower the rate of substance abuse. Similar risk reductions were suggested among children and when investigating the association between stimulant ADHD medication and concomitant short-term abuse. We found no indication of increased risks of substance abuse among individuals prescribed stimulant ADHD medication; if anything, the data suggested a long-term protective effect on substance abuse. Although stimulant ADHD medication does not seem to increase the risk for substance abuse, clinicians should remain alert to the potential problem of stimulant misuse and diversion in ADHD patients. © 2013 The Authors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry © 2013 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Positive and Negative Affect in Clinic-Referred Youth With ADHD.

PubMed

Okado, Izumi; Mueller, Charles W; Nakamura, Brad J

2016-01-01

To examine self-reported positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) among youth with ADHD (only and comorbid) and other non-ADHD-referred youth in an ethnically diverse clinical sample. Semi-structured interviews identified 80 pure ADHD, 284 ADHD plus one or more comorbidities, and 730 non-ADHD youth (e.g., other diagnoses or no diagnosis). The Positive and Negative Affect Scale-Children (PANAS-C) was used to assess affective states. Even after controlling for the influence of potential confounds, youth with only ADHD reported higher PA and lower NA than other clinic-referred youth. The ADHD-comorbid group reported higher PA than the "non-ADHD" group, but these groups did not differ on level of NA. ADHD subtype did not influence results. Among clinic-referred youth, ADHD is associated with higher levels of PA and when there are no comorbid disorders, lower levels of NA. © The Author(s) 2013.

Capturing the dynamics of response variability in the brain in ADHD.

PubMed

van Belle, Janna; van Raalten, Tamar; Bos, Dienke J; Zandbelt, Bram B; Oranje, Bob; Durston, Sarah

2015-01-01

ADHD is characterized by increased intra-individual variability in response times during the performance of cognitive tasks. However, little is known about developmental changes in intra-individual variability, and how these changes relate to cognitive performance. Twenty subjects with ADHD aged 7-24 years and 20 age-matched, typically developing controls participated in an fMRI-scan while they performed a go-no-go task. We fit an ex-Gaussian distribution on the response distribution to objectively separate extremely slow responses, related to lapses of attention, from variability on fast responses. We assessed developmental changes in these intra-individual variability measures, and investigated their relation to no-go performance. Results show that the ex-Gaussian measures were better predictors of no-go performance than traditional measures of reaction time. Furthermore, we found between-group differences in the change in ex-Gaussian parameters with age, and their relation to task performance: subjects with ADHD showed age-related decreases in their variability on fast responses (sigma), but not in lapses of attention (tau), whereas control subjects showed a decrease in both measures of variability. For control subjects, but not subjects with ADHD, this age-related reduction in variability was predictive of task performance. This group difference was reflected in neural activation: for typically developing subjects, the age-related decrease in intra-individual variability on fast responses (sigma) predicted activity in the dorsal anterior cingulate gyrus (dACG), whereas for subjects with ADHD, activity in this region was related to improved no-go performance with age, but not to intra-individual variability. These data show that using more sophisticated measures of intra-individual variability allows the capturing of the dynamics of task performance and associated neural changes not permitted by more traditional measures.

Capturing the dynamics of response variability in the brain in ADHD

PubMed Central

van Belle, Janna; van Raalten, Tamar; Bos, Dienke J.; Zandbelt, Bram B.; Oranje, Bob; Durston, Sarah

2014-01-01

ADHD is characterized by increased intra-individual variability in response times during the performance of cognitive tasks. However, little is known about developmental changes in intra-individual variability, and how these changes relate to cognitive performance. Twenty subjects with ADHD aged 7–24 years and 20 age-matched, typically developing controls participated in an fMRI-scan while they performed a go-no-go task. We fit an ex-Gaussian distribution on the response distribution to objectively separate extremely slow responses, related to lapses of attention, from variability on fast responses. We assessed developmental changes in these intra-individual variability measures, and investigated their relation to no-go performance. Results show that the ex-Gaussian measures were better predictors of no-go performance than traditional measures of reaction time. Furthermore, we found between-group differences in the change in ex-Gaussian parameters with age, and their relation to task performance: subjects with ADHD showed age-related decreases in their variability on fast responses (sigma), but not in lapses of attention (tau), whereas control subjects showed a decrease in both measures of variability. For control subjects, but not subjects with ADHD, this age-related reduction in variability was predictive of task performance. This group difference was reflected in neural activation: for typically developing subjects, the age-related decrease in intra-individual variability on fast responses (sigma) predicted activity in the dorsal anterior cingulate gyrus (dACG), whereas for subjects with ADHD, activity in this region was related to improved no-go performance with age, but not to intra-individual variability. These data show that using more sophisticated measures of intra-individual variability allows the capturing of the dynamics of task performance and associated neural changes not permitted by more traditional measures. PMID:25610775

Health, Dietary Habits, and Achievement Motivation in College Students With Self-Reported ADHD Diagnosis.