Top-down Inhibitory Motor Control Is Preserved in Adults with Developmental Coordination Disorder

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Motor Control

Background:

• Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is characterized by motor difficulties.
• Previous research has explored potential executive function deficits in DCD.
• Disentangling information processing from motor inhibition is crucial for understanding DCD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate information processing and executive motor inhibition in adults with DCD.
• To differentiate between processing speed and inhibitory control in DCD.
• To clarify the underlying mechanisms of DCD.

Main Methods:

• Comparison of Choice Reaction and Stop Signal Tasks between adults with DCD and typically developing controls.
• Inclusion of probable DCD (pDCD) participants in additional analyses.
• Utilized frequentist and Bayesian statistical modeling.

Main Results:

• Adults with DCD and pDCD demonstrated slower reaction times.
• Participants with DCD+pDCD experienced difficulties initiating Go responses.
• No significant impairments were observed in Stop actions for the DCD group.

Conclusions:

• The study indicates no executive deficit in adults with DCD.
• Findings suggest that inefficient information processing may explain observed difficulties in DCD.
• Results challenge previous assumptions about executive dysfunction in DCD.