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Updated: Aug 16, 2026

Using Brain Activation (nir-HEG/Q-EEG) and Execution Measures (CPTs) in a ADHD Assessment Protocol
13:09

Using Brain Activation (nir-HEG/Q-EEG) and Execution Measures (CPTs) in a ADHD Assessment Protocol

Published on: April 1, 2018

Motor preparation, motor execution, attention, and executive functions in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Ester I Klimkeit1, Jason B Mattingley, Dianne M Sheppard

  • 1School of Psychology, Psychiatry, and Psychological Medicine, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia. Ester.Klimkeit@med.monash.edu.au

Child Neuropsychology : a Journal on Normal and Abnormal Development in Childhood and Adolescence
|July 23, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) exhibit slow movement preparation and attention deficits. Stimulant medication may improve these cognitive and motor impairments in ADHD.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Cognitive Psychology

Background:

  • Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting attention and executive functions.
  • Previous research highlights executive function deficits in ADHD, but the specific impact on motor preparation and attention requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate attention and executive functions in medicated and unmedicated children with ADHD combined type.
  • To examine the effects of stimulant medication on motor preparation, selective attention, and executive functions in children with ADHD.

Main Methods:

  • A novel selective reaching task was employed, requiring rapid responses to targets while ignoring distractors.
  • Performance was assessed in medicated and unmedicated children diagnosed with ADHD combined type.

Main Results:

  • Unmedicated children with ADHD demonstrated slow and inaccurate responding, linked to attentional impairments in movement preparation.
  • Inaccurate responding in unmedicated children was associated with deficits in response inhibition, selective attention, impulsivity, set-shifting, and vigilance.
  • Medicated children showed improved movement preparation but retained some response inaccuracy due to impulsivity.

Conclusions:

  • ADHD is characterized by impaired motor preparation, selective attention, vigilance, and executive functions, not motor execution deficits.
  • Stimulant medication shows potential in ameliorating some of the motor, attentional, and executive function deficits observed in ADHD.

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