scholarly journals A Review of Executive Functions in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 107
Author(s):  
Carmen Berenguer ◽  
Belen Rosello ◽  
Geraldine Leader
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Attention Deficit ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are two of the most common childhood-onset neurodevelopmental disorders. Literature has shown different patterns of deficits in executive functioning in children with ASD and ADHD. To date few studies have examined executive functions in both ASD and ADHD and with mixed results.The current study provides the first systematic review to explore distinct executive function components (attention problems, response inhibition, working memory, planning and flexibility) that underlie the specific deficits seen in children and adolescents with both ASD and ADHD disorders. Findings provide evidence for executive dysfunctions across different key components such as attention, response inhibition and verbal working memory in children and adolescents with ASD and comorbid ADHD clinical symptoms. This research explores the neurocognitive profile of the comorbid condition, which is also critical for designing appropriate interventions.

scholarly journals Delayed autism spectrum disorder recognition in children and adolescents previously diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Autism ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 1065-1072 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vasiliki Kentrou ◽  
Danielle MJ de Veld ◽  
Kawita JK Mataw ◽  
Sander Begeer
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Attention Deficit ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Adult Sample ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis

Phenotypic elements of autism spectrum disorder can be masked by attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms, potentially leading to a misdiagnosis or delaying an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis. This study explored differences in the age of autism spectrum disorder diagnosis between participants with previously diagnosed attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder versus autism spectrum disorder–only respondents. Children and adolescents, but not adults, initially diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder received an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis an average of 1.8 years later than autism spectrum disorder–only children, although the findings regarding the adult sample should be interpreted with caution. Gender differences were also explored, revealing that the delay in receiving an autism diagnosis was 1.5 years in boys and 2.6 years in girls with pre-existing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, compared with boys and girls without prior attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. No significant gender differences were observed in the adult sample. We argue that overlapping symptoms between autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder might delay a formal diagnosis of autism either by leading to a misdiagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or by making it difficult to identify the presence of co-occurring autism spectrum disorder conditions once an initial diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder has been obtained. Current findings highlight the need to recruit multidimensional and multidisciplinary screening procedures to assess for potential emerging autism spectrum disorder hallmarks in children and adolescents diagnosed or presenting with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms.

scholarly journals Autism Spectrum Disorder and Disruptive Behavior Disorders Comorbidities Delineate Clinical Phenotypes in Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Novel Insights from the Assessment of Psychopathological and Neuropsychological Profiles

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 3839
Author(s):  
Gianluca Sesso ◽  
Chiara Cristofani ◽  
Stefano Berloffa ◽  
Paola Cristofani ◽  
Pamela Fantozzi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Disruptive Behavior ◽  
Attention Deficit ◽  
Behavior Disorders ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Clinical Phenotypes ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder

Although childhood-onset psychiatric disorders are often considered as distinct and separate from each other, they frequently co-occur, with partial overlapping symptomatology. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) commonly co-occur with each other and with other mental disorders, particularly disruptive behavior disorders, oppositional defiant disorder/conduct disorder (ODD/CD). Whether these associated comorbidities represent a spectrum of distinct clinical phenotypes is matter of research. The aim of our study was to describe the clinical phenotypes of youths with ADHD with and without ASD and/or ODD/CD, based on neuropsychological and psychopathological variables. One-hundred fifty-one participants with ADHD were prospectively recruited and assigned to four clinical groups, and assessed by means of parent-reported questionnaires, the child behavior checklist and the behavior rating inventory of executive functions. The ADHD alone group presented a greater impairment in metacognitive executive functions, ADHD+ASD patients presented higher internalizing problems and deficits in Shifting tasks, and ADHD+ODD/CD subjects presented emotional-behavioral dysregulation. Moreover, ADHD+ASD+ODD/CD individuals exhibited greater internalizing and externalizing problems, and specific neuropsychological impairments in the domains of emotional regulation. Our study supports the need to implement the evaluation of the psychopathological and neuropsychological functioning profiles, and to characterize specific endophenotypes for a finely customized establishment of treatment strategies.

Disorder-dissociated effects of fluoxetine on brain function of working memory in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder

2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 1195-1205 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Chantiluke ◽  
N. Barrett ◽  
V. Giampietro ◽  
M. Brammer ◽  
A. Simmons ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Attention Deficit ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder

Background.Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are often co-morbid and share performance and brain dysfunctions during working memory (WM). Serotonin agonists modulate WM and there is evidence of positive behavioural effects in both disorders. We therefore used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate shared and disorder-specific brain dysfunctions of WM in these disorders, and the effects of a single dose of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) fluoxetine.Method.Age-matched boys with ADHD (n = 17), ASD (n = 17) and controls (n = 22) were compared using fMRI during an N-back WM task. Patients were scanned twice, under either an acute dose of fluoxetine or placebo in a double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized design. Repeated-measures analyses within patients assessed drug effects on performance and brain function. To test for normalization effects of brain dysfunctions, patients under each drug condition were compared to controls.Results.Under placebo, relative to controls, both ADHD and ASD boys shared underactivation in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Fluoxetine significantly normalized the DLPFC underactivation in ASD relative to controls whereas it increased posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) deactivation in ADHD relative to control boys. Within-patient analyses showed inverse effects of fluoxetine on PCC deactivation, which it enhanced in ADHD and decreased in ASD.Conclusions.The findings show that fluoxetine modulates brain activation during WM in a disorder-specific manner by normalizing task-positive DLPFC dysfunction in ASD boys and enhancing task-negative default mode network (DMN) deactivation in ADHD.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document