Error-Related Dynamics of Reaction Time and Frontal Midline Theta Activity in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) During a Subliminal Motor Priming Task

Abstract Background A recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) identified 12 independent loci significantly associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Polygenic risk scores (PRS), derived from the GWAS, can be used to assess genetic overlap between ADHD and other traits. Using ADHD samples from several international sites, we derived PRS for ADHD from the recent GWAS to test whether genetic variants that contribute to ADHD also influence two cognitive functions that show strong association with ADHD: attention regulation and response inhibition, captured by reaction time variability (RTV) and commission errors (CE). Methods The discovery GWAS included 19 099 ADHD cases and 34 194 control participants. The combined target sample included 845 people with ADHD (age: 8–40 years). RTV and CE were available from reaction time and response inhibition tasks. ADHD PRS were calculated from the GWAS using a leave-one-study-out approach. Regression analyses were run to investigate whether ADHD PRS were associated with CE and RTV. Results across sites were combined via random effect meta-analyses. Results When combining the studies in meta-analyses, results were significant for RTV (R2 = 0.011, β = 0.088, p = 0.02) but not for CE (R2 = 0.011, β = 0.013, p = 0.732). No significant association was found between ADHD PRS and RTV or CE in any sample individually (p > 0.10). Conclusions We detected a significant association between PRS for ADHD and RTV (but not CE) in individuals with ADHD, suggesting that common genetic risk variants for ADHD influence attention regulation.

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Cognitive Modeling Suggests That Attentional Failures Drive Longer Stop-Signal Reaction Time Estimates in Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Clinical Psychological Science ◽

10.1177/2167702619838466 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (4) ◽

pp. 856-872 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Alexander Weigard ◽

Andrew Heathcote ◽

Dóra Matzke ◽

Cynthia Huang-Pollock

Keyword(s):

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽

Reaction Time ◽

Attention Deficit ◽

Cognitive Modeling ◽

Stop Signal ◽

Stop Signal Task ◽

Unbiased Estimation ◽

Children With Adhd ◽

Hyperactivity Disorder ◽

Stop Signal Reaction Time

Mean stop-signal reaction time (SSRT) is frequently employed as a measure of response inhibition in cognitive neuroscience research on attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, this measurement model is limited by two factors that may bias SSRT estimation in this population: (a) excessive skew in “go” RT distributions and (b) trigger failures, or instances in which individuals fail to trigger an inhibition process in response to the stop signal. We used a Bayesian parametric approach that allows unbiased estimation of the shape of entire SSRT distributions and the probability of trigger failures to clarify mechanisms of stop-signal task deficits in ADHD. Children with ADHD displayed greater positive skew than their peers in both go RT and SSRT distributions. However, they also displayed more frequent trigger failures, which appeared to drive ADHD-related stopping difficulties. Results suggest that performance on the stop-signal task among children with ADHD reflects impairments in early attentional processes, rather than inefficiency in the stop process.

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