Dataset Information

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

ABSTRACT: Mean stop-signal reaction time (SSRT) is frequently employed as a measure of response inhibition in cognitive neuroscience research on ADHD. However, this measurement model is limited by two factors which may bias SSRT estimation in this population: 1) excessive skew in "go" RT distributions, and 2) trigger failures, or instances in which individuals fail to trigger an inhibition process in response to the "stop" signal. We use a Bayesian parametric approach, which 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 stop-signal task performance in ADHD reflects impairments in early attentional processes, rather than inefficiency in the stop process.

SUBMITTER: Weigard A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7011120 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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

Weigard Alexander A Heathcote Andrew A Matzke Dora D Huang-Pollock Cynthia C

Clinical psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science 20190418 4

Mean stop-signal reaction time (SSRT) is frequently employed as a measure of response inhibition in cognitive neuroscience research on ADHD. However, this measurement model is limited by two factors which may bias SSRT estimation in this population: 1) excessive skew in "go" RT distributions, and 2) trigger failures, or instances in which individuals fail to trigger an inhibition process in response to the "stop" signal. We use a Bayesian parametric approach, which allows unbiased estimation of ...[more]

PMID: 32047706

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Project description:The diagnostic criteria for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) reflect the behavioural and functional outcomes of cognitive processes. Historically they have been based on external observations and lack specificity: clinical cohorts of children meeting diagnostic criteria show that around 40% may also meet diagnostic criteria for oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). We have proposed a clinical model to explain this: the Mental Effort Reward Imbalances model of ADHD (MERIM). This model views the lower levels of task completion that underlie several of the diagnostic criteria for ADHD as being due to a summation of deficits in executive functioning and reward processing. The subjective experience of inadequate reward from task completion may explain the reduced motivation, negativity, and oppositional attitude associated with ODD. The hypothesis for this study is that descriptions of affected individuals’ attentional characteristics could be more specific for the executive functioning deficits associated with ADHD than the current symptom-based approaches. To test whether this might be usable in practice, we conducted a workshop that aimed to characterise in depth the patterns of attention experienced by adults with ADHD and how they impact functioning. Three main patterns were described: (1) complete lapses in attention; (2) partial attention to a task; (3) attending to multiple tasks and distractions, either simultaneously or in rapid sequence. All of these resulted in reduced productivity. They also described strategies for managing their attention deficits. Some people used distractions positively, to stimulate the mind to remain active and engaged rather than losing focus. Multi-tasking could also achieve this by providing higher levels of stimulation, however, the stimulation could itself become a distraction. Interest or stress might maintain engagement; extremes could sometimes lead to hyperfocusing, which was typically infrequent but could be highly productive. Focusing on executive functions may improve diagnostic sensitivity, as the current criteria fail to identify people who function adequately due to their use of strategies that mitigate the effects of their attentional deficits. Such people may present with secondary depression or anxiety rather than clear, behavioural symptoms of ADHD. With further development, the approach described in this paper may provide a more simple and fundamental way of recognising ADHD within the community. In the longer term, focusing more specifically on executive functions may provide cohorts with a ‘purer’ form of ADHD for scientific study.

Project description:Previous studies have associated Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) with a maturational lag of brain functional networks. Functional connectivity of the human brain changes from primarily local to more distant connectivity patterns during typical development. Under the maturational lag hypothesis, we expect children with ADHD to exhibit increased local connectivity and decreased distant connectivity compared with neurotypically developing (ND) children. We applied a graph-theory method to compute local and distant connectivity levels and cross-sectionally compared them in a sample of 120 children with ADHD and 120 age-matched ND children (age range = 7-17 years). In addition, we measured if potential group differences in local and distant connectivity were stable across the age range considered. Finally, we assessed the clinical relevance of observed group differences by correlating the connectivity levels and ADHD symptoms severity separately for each group. Children with ADHD exhibited more local connectivity than age-matched ND children in multiple brain regions, mainly overlapping with default mode, fronto-parietal and ventral attentional functional networks (p < .05- threshold free-cluster enhancement-family-wise error). We detected an atypical developmental pattern of local connectivity in somatomotor regions, that is, decreases with age in ND children, and increases with age in children with ADHD. Furthermore, local connectivity within somatomotor areas correlated positively with clinical severity of ADHD symptoms, both in ADHD and ND children. Results suggest an immature functional state of multiple brain networks in children with ADHD. Whereas the ADHD diagnosis is associated with the integrity of the system comprising the fronto-parietal, default mode and ventral attentional networks, the severity of clinical symptoms is related to atypical functional connectivity within somatomotor areas. Additionally, our findings are in line with the view of ADHD as a disorder of deviated maturational trajectories, mainly affecting somatomotor areas, rather than delays that normalize with age.

Dataset Information

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

Publications

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

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