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Cognitive control in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
Margaretha Dramsdahl1, René Westerhausen, Jan Haavik
1Division of Psychiatry, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway. margaretha.dramsdalh@helse-bergen.no
Psychiatry Research
|May 10, 2011
Summary
Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) show deficits in cognitive control, specifically when instructed to focus on left-ear stimuli during dichotic listening tasks. This suggests prefrontal circuitry may underlie these attention challenges.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting attention and executive functions.
- Cognitive control and attentional processes are crucial for daily functioning in educational and work settings.
- Dichotic listening (DL) tasks are used to assess auditory perception, attention, and cognitive control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate attentional control and cognitive processing in adults with ADHD using a forced-instruction dichotic listening task.
- To compare the performance of adults with ADHD against matched controls on auditory perception, attention orientation, and cognitive control.
- To explore potential neurological underpinnings of attentional deficits in ADHD.
Main Methods:
- A forced-instruction dichotic listening (DL) task was administered to 29 adults with ADHD and 58 matched controls.
- Participants listened to conflicting syllables presented simultaneously to each ear and were instructed to report specific syllables under non-forced, forced-right, and forced-left conditions.
- Performance was analyzed across conditions presumed to measure perception, attention orientation, and cognitive control.
Main Results:
- Adults with ADHD did not differ from controls in perception or attention orientation conditions.
- Adults with ADHD showed significant impairment in the forced-left condition, failing to report the left-ear syllable as expected.
- Control participants exhibited a typical left-ear advantage in the forced-left condition, unlike the ADHD group.
Conclusions:
- The findings support a deficit in cognitive control among adults with ADHD, potentially linked to prefrontal neuronal circuitry.
- Impaired cognitive control in ADHD may impact psychosocial adjustment in academic and professional environments.
- The study highlights specific attentional control challenges in adults with ADHD using a dichotic listening paradigm.
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