Enhanced emotional interference on working memory performance in adults with ADHD

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychology

Background:

• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterized by executive dysfunction and emotion regulation deficits.
• The specific impact of emotional dysregulation on cognitive performance in ADHD remains under-researched.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of emotional stimuli on working memory performance in adults with ADHD.
• To determine if emotional dysregulation exacerbates cognitive deficits in ADHD.

Main Methods:

• Adults with ADHD (n=39) and matched controls (n=40) completed an emotional n-back task.
• Participants processed working memory while ignoring neutral and negative background stimuli of varying saliency.
• Task involved rapid and accurate processing of working memory.

Main Results:

• ADHD patients exhibited a general working memory deficit compared to controls.
• Individuals with ADHD showed increased distractibility from emotionally salient stimuli, evidenced by lower n-back accuracy.
• ADHD patients' performance decreased with low-saliency negative stimuli, unlike controls who were only impaired by high-saliency stimuli.

Conclusions:

• Deficient executive control in ADHD may underlie difficulties in suppressing attention to emotionally laden stimuli.
• Emotional dysregulation significantly impairs cognitive functioning in individuals with ADHD.