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[Cognitive functions of children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder]
1Mental Health Institute, Peking University, Beijing 100083, China.
Insights
Children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) exhibit lower intelligence, memory, and attention compared to their peers. These deficits impact executive functions, including selective inhibition and working memory.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Child Psychiatry
Context:
- Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder.
- Cognitive deficits are a core feature of ADHD, impacting academic and social functioning.
- Understanding these cognitive features is crucial for effective intervention strategies.
Purpose:
- To investigate and characterize the specific cognitive function features in children diagnosed with ADHD.
- To compare cognitive performance between children with ADHD and a matched control group.
- To identify deficits in executive functions associated with ADHD.
Summary:
- Children with ADHD demonstrated significantly lower scores in intelligence (IQ), memory (WMS), and attention (Number Cancellation Test, Stroop Test) compared to controls.
- Specific deficits were observed in verbal and performance IQ, various memory domains (short-term, long-term, immediate), and selective inhibition.
- ADHD children showed impaired performance in tasks requiring sustained attention, working memory, and executive control, as evidenced by the Stroop and Number Cancellation tests.
Impact:
- Findings highlight the pervasive cognitive impairments in ADHD, extending beyond attention to core executive functions.
- Results underscore the need for targeted cognitive interventions addressing deficits in intelligence, memory, and executive functions in ADHD management.
- This research contributes to a deeper understanding of ADHD's neurocognitive profile, informing clinical diagnosis and educational support.
Objective:
To investigate the features of cognitive function in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Methods:
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-RC, Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS), Number Cancellation Test, Ravin's Standard Progressive Matrices, and Stroop test were conducted among 60 7 approximately 12-year-old children diagnosed with ADHD and 60 children matched by age, sex, and maternal education level.
Results:
The verbal intelligence quotient, performance IQ, full scale IQ, verbal comprehension IQ, perceptual organization IQ, and freedom from distractibility IQ of the ADHD CHILDREN were 104 +/- 13, 98 +/- 14, 102 +/- 13, 100 +/- 15, and 102 +/- 15, all less than those of the controls (112 +/- 11, 108 +/- 13, 112 +/- 12, 111 +/- 12, 107 +/- 13, and 116 +/- 13, all P < 0.01). The scores of long-term memory, short-term memory, immediate memory, memory quotient, and reverse digit span in the children with ADHD were 40 +/- 7, 58 +/- 12, 7 +/- 3, 95 +/- 15, and 4.2 +/- 1.7 respectively, all less than those in the controls (49 +/- 5, 63 +/- 10, 8.4 +/- 3.0, 109 +/- 12.5, and 5.0 +/- 1.4 respectively, all P < 0.05). Number cancellation test showed significantly lower total score and higher error rate in ADHD children than in the controls (51.5 and 76.4 VS 77.3 and 38.0, both P = 0.000). In Stroop test, the ADHD children spent more time for all the four parts, had to make more effort to eliminate the interference of word meaning, and made more errors in the C and D parts. The average standard score of Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices was 4.0 +/- 1.5, significantly higher than that in the controls (2.7 +/- 1.2, P = 0.000).
Conclusion:
The levels of intelligence, memory, and attention in ADHD children are lower that those in normal children. ADHD children have deficiency in executive functions, such as selective inhibition, working memory and plan implementation.