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Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, combined type: better executive function performance with longer-term
Alasdair L A Vance1, Paul Maruff, Rebecca Barnett
1Department of Psychological Medicine, Monash University, Moorabbin, Victoria, Australia. alasdair.vance@med.monash.edu.au
The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry
|September 27, 2003
Summary
Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, combined type (ADHD-CT) on long-term psychostimulant medication showed better executive function, even if still symptomatic. This suggests medication may benefit cognitive skills regardless of symptom persistence.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Child Psychology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Executive function deficits are common in children with ADHD-CT.
- Longer-term psychostimulant medication may improve executive function in ADHD-CT.
- Some children with ADHD-CT remain symptomatic despite medication.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if better executive function is linked to longer-term psychostimulant use in symptomatic ADHD-CT children.
- To explore the relationship between executive function and psychostimulant treatment in ADHD-CT.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study comparing three groups: medication-naïve ADHD-CT, symptomatic ADHD-CT on medication, and controls.
- Assessed nonverbal executive function using standardized tasks.
- Included 40 medication-naïve ADHD-CT, 26 symptomatic ADHD-CT on medication, and 26 controls.
Main Results:
- Children with ADHD-CT on longer-term psychostimulant medication demonstrated superior executive function compared to medication-naïve children.
- This enhanced executive function was observed even in children who remained symptomatic for ADHD-CT.
Conclusions:
- Improved executive function might indicate a positive psychostimulant medication effect in children with ADHD-CT.
- Executive function improvements may not directly correlate with ADHD-CT symptom reduction.
- Further longitudinal research is necessary to confirm these findings.