Temporal Allocation of Visual Attention in Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

2001 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 298-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deidre E. Hollingsworth ◽  
Sean P. McAuliffe ◽  
Barbara J. Knowlton

In two experiments, we examined the ability of adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to preocess multiple targets appearing in a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) stream. Using a standard attentional blink (AB) task, subjects were required to both identify a target in the RSVP stream and detect a probe appearing in one of several posttarget serial positions. In Experiment 1, ADHD adults exhibited a protracted AB compared to controls, in that their probe detection did not improve as a function of increasing probe-to-target intervals (450-720 msec). In Experiment 2, the ADHD group performed as well as controls in detectin probes appearing immediately (i.e., 90 msec) after the target. Taken together, the results demonstrate that adults with ADHD exhibit a selective deficit in rapidly shifting attention between the target and the probe, when two appear several hundred milliseconds apart. These results suggest that adults with ADHD can use automatic (reflexive) attention to detect items in close temporal proximity in the RSVP stream, but have difficulty allocating controlled attention to multiple stimuli separated by several hundred milliseconds.

1995 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 351-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah A. Pearson ◽  
Laura S. Yaffee ◽  
Katherine A. Loveland ◽  
Amy M. Norton

AbstractShifts in covert visual attention were compared in children with and without Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) to determine if children with ADHD have developmental immaturities in covert attention, relative to their non-ADHD peers. Children were told to orient attention to a central fixation point and were then cued, by both central and peripheral cues, to direct their attention to either the left or right peripheral fields. Following variable time intervals, the target appeared and reaction times and errors were recorded. Although performance of all subjects showed faciliation when attention was directed by valid cues and inhibition when attention was directed by invalid cues, the performance of children with ADHD was far more disrupted when their attention was misled by invalid cues, especially at longer intervals. This inconsistency was reflected in significantly higher error rates in the ADHD group. They also showed a pattern of attentional “waxing and waning” in performance over longer time intervals that has been previously found in auditory attention switching over time within trials in children with ADHD. Overall, results are inconsistent with developmentally immature covert attention skills in ADHD. Findings are discussed in terms of the concept of global “developmental immaturity” in the attention skills of children with ADHD.


2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-88
Author(s):  
J. B. Savitz ◽  
P. Jansen

The literature on the neuropsychology of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is plagued by inconsistent findings, which are usually attributed to a variety of extraneous variables. One of the most inadequately explored of these variables is the difference between ADHD children attending remedial and mainstream schools. This study aimed to investigate whether the performance of remedial and mainstream school ADHD boys differs on relevant neuropsychological tasks. The sample consisted of three groups of 8- to 12-year-old boys. Two of these groups consisted of children with ADHD: one from remedial schools and one from mainstream schools. The third group was made up of participants without ADHD, who attended mainstream schools. The performance of the remedial school learners on the Stroop, Lurian and cancellation tasks was investigated and compared to a mainstream school ADHD sample. The performance of the ADHD group as a whole was compared with that of a control group. No significant difference in performance was found between the two ADHD groups, except for the length of time taken to read words in the control condition of the Stroop. The control group out-performed the ADHD samples on the Stroop, Lurian and cancellation tasks. The findings suggest that mainstream and remedial ADHD boys do not differ in the severity of their executive deficits, but that boys with ADHD attending remedial schools may be more likely to have another learning disorder than their counterparts at mainstream schools.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 91 (4) ◽  
pp. 816-819
Author(s):  
Jeanne B. Funk ◽  
John B. Chessare ◽  
Michael T. Weaver ◽  
Anita R. Exley

Given that children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more impulsive than peers, this study explored whether they are correspondingly more creative, and whether creativity declines when impulsivity is decreased through methylphenidate (Ritalin) therapy. A repeated-measures quasi-experimental design was used to compare the performance of 19 boys with previously diagnosed ADHD and 21 comparison boys aged 8 through 11 on two administrations of alternate forms of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking-Figural (nonverbal). Boys with ADHD received prescribed methylphenidate only for the first session. Overall, mean Torrance summary scores for comparison boys (mean = 115.1, SD = 16.1) were higher than for boys with ADHD (mean = 107.6, SD = 12.7). However, the difference between means was small (7%) and did not meet the 25% criterion for a clinically significant difference. No changes in performance over time (comparison group) or medication state (ADHD group) were observed. These data suggest that, when measured nonverbally, the creative thinking performance of boys with ADHD is not superior to that of peers who do not have ADHD. Regarding the effects of methylphenidate, prescribed therapy did not influence performance on this measure of creative thinking.


2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (15) ◽  
pp. 2617-2625 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann-Marie Low ◽  
Signe Vangkilde ◽  
Julijana le Sommer ◽  
Birgitte Fagerlund ◽  
Birte Glenthøj ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder which frequently persists into adulthood. The primary goal of the current study was to (a) investigate attentional functions of stimulant medication-naïve adults with ADHD, and (b) investigate the effects of 6 weeks of methylphenidate treatment on these functions.MethodsThe study was a prospective, non-randomized, non-blinded, 6-week follow-up design with 42 stimulant medication-naïve adult patients with ADHD, and 42 age and parental education-matched healthy controls. Assessments included measures of visual attention, based on Bundesen's Theory of Visual Attention (TVA), which yields five precise measures of aspects of visual attention; general psychopathology; ADHD symptoms; dyslexia screening; and estimates of IQ.ResultsAt baseline, significant differences were found between patients and controls on three attentional parameters: visual short-term memory capacity, threshold of conscious perception, and to a lesser extent visual processing speed. Secondary analyses revealed no significant correlations between TVA parameter estimates and severity of ADHD symptomatology. At follow-up, significant improvements were found specifically for visual processing speed; this improvement had a large effect size, and remained when controlling for re-test effects, IQ, and dyslexia screen performance. There were no significant correlations between changes in visual processing speed and changes in ADHD symptomatology.ConclusionsADHD in adults may be associated with deficits in three distinct aspects of visual attention. Improvements after 6 weeks of medication are seen specifically in visual processing speed, which could represent an improvement in alertness. Clinical symptoms and visual attentional deficits may represent separate aspects of ADHD in adults.


CNS Spectrums ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 264-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ching-Lin Chu ◽  
I Hui Lee ◽  
Mei Hung Chi ◽  
Kao Chin Chen ◽  
Po See Chen ◽  
...  

ObjectivePrevious studies have indicated that there is dopamine transporter (DAT) dysregulation and P300 abnormality in adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); however, the correlations among the three have not been fully explored.MethodsA total of 11 adults (9 males and 2 females) with ADHD and 11 age-, sex-, and education-level-matched controls were recruited. We explored differences in DAT availability using single-photon emission computed tomography and P300 wave of event-related potentials between the two groups. The correlation between DAT availability and P300 performance was also examined.ResultsDAT availability in the basal ganglia, caudate nucleus, and putamen was significantly lower in the ADHD group. Adults with ADHD had lower auditory P300 amplitudes at the Pz and Cz sites, as well as longer Fz latency than controls. DAT availability was negatively correlated to P300 latency at Pz and Fz.ConclusionsAdults with ADHD had both abnormal DAT availability and P300 amplitude, suggesting that ADHD is linked to dysfunction of the central dopaminergic system and poor cognitive processes related to response selection and execution.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeynep Sena Tosun ◽  
Ayse Vural Ozec ◽  
Haydar Erdogan ◽  
Erman Bozali ◽  
Duygu Yalınbas Yeter ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective Examination of retinal nerve, ganglion cell layer thickness and choroidal thickness in patients with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder by optical coherence tomography (OCT). Method : 30 individuals with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and 30 healthy individuals compatible in terms of age and gender who applied to the Ophthalmology outpatient clinic for control were included in the study. The right and left eye data of the participants were used in statistical analysis. In addition to full ophthalmological examination (best corrected visual acuity, biomicroscopy, fundus examination), retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), ganglion cell layer (GCL) and macular choroidal thickness (MCT) were measured by OCT. RNFL, GCL and MCT measurements were compared between the groups. Conclusion There was no significant difference between the RNFL and GCL thickness values of the individuals in both groups (p > 0.05). When compared in terms of choroidal thickness, left eye su bfoveal choroidal thickness (p = 0.036, p < 0.05) and 2 mm temporal choroidal thickness were significantly higher in the ADHD group than in the control group (p = 0.034, p < 0.05). Discussion The aim of this study was to determine the clinical features of the eyes of children with ADHD. Cross-sectional studies with larger participation are needed to determine RNFL, GCL and choroidal changes.


Author(s):  
Neda Ghadamgahi Sani ◽  
◽  
Malahat Akbarfahimi ◽  
Shadi Akbari ◽  
Mehdi Alizadeh Zarei ◽  
...  

Introduction: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common childhood psychiatric disorders which is characterized by poor attention and subsequently lower learning capacities comparing with normal children. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of neurofeedback and perceptual-motor exercises as two common non-pharmacological treatments on visual attention. Method: 40 combined medicated ADHD children (aged 5-12 years) were allocated randomly in two groups: neurofeedback training and perceptual-motor exercises. Visual attention and motor proficiency were assessed before and after the treatment by Continuous Performance Test (CPT) and Bruininks-Oseretsky Test (BOT), respectively. Results: according to repeated measures ANOVA, both groups showed significant improvement in three attention-related areas of CPT including reaction time, omission and commission errors (p<0.001), while the difference between two groups was not significant (p>0.05). However, in perceptual-motor exercises group, motor proficiency improved significantly (p<0.01). Conclusion: neurofeedback training intervention, as well as perceptual-motor exercises, are effective in improving ADHD symptoms and given the similar effect of both interventions and their lack of side-effects, perceptual-motor exercises appear to be the more appropriate option for reducing symptoms of ADHD, due to its additional effect on motor proficiency, rich content of purposeful activities and social interactions.


2015 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernando Cross-Villasana ◽  
Kathrin Finke ◽  
Kristina Hennig-Fast ◽  
Beate Kilian ◽  
Iris Wiegand ◽  
...  

2013 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 601-612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandra M. Passarotti ◽  
Jacklynn M. Fitzgerald ◽  
John A. Sweeney ◽  
Mani N. Pavuluri

AbstractThis study examined whether processing of emotional words impairs cognitive performance in acutely ill patients with pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD), with or without comorbid attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), relative to healthy controls (HC). Forty youths with PBD without ADHD, 20 youths with PBD and ADHD, and 29 HC (mean age = 12.97 ± 3.13) performed a Synonym Matching task, where they decided which of two probe words was the synonym of a target word. The three words presented on each trial all had the same emotional valence, which could be negative, positive, or neutral. Relative to HC both PBD groups exhibited worse accuracy for emotional words relative to neutral ones. This effect was greater with negative words and observed regardless of whether PBD patients had comorbid ADHD. In the PBD group without ADHD, manic symptoms correlated negatively with accuracy for negative words, and positively with reaction time (RT) for all word types. Our findings suggest a greater disruptive effect of emotional valence in both PBD groups relative to HC, reflecting the adverse effect of altered emotion processing on cognitive function in PBD. Future studies including an ADHD group will help clarify how ADHD symptoms may affect emotional interference independently of PBD. (JINS, 2013, 19, 1–12)


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