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Altered interaction of physiological activity and behavior affects risky decision-making in ADHD
Eva Halbe1, Fabian Kolf1, Alina Sophie Heger1
1Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) exhibit heightened emotional arousal during risky decision-making tasks, indicating a link between affective dysfunction and abnormal behavior. This suggests physiological responses are key to understanding ADHD-related risk-taking.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is linked to risky decision-making.
- Cognitive functions may improve with age, but affective impairments in ADHD can worsen.
- This study hypothesizes that affective pathway deficits drive risky behavior in adult ADHD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if affective pathway dysfunction causes abnormal risky decision-making (DM) in adult ADHD.
- To explore the relationship between emotional arousal and decision-making in ADHD.
- To compare physiological responses during a risky decision-making task between adults with ADHD and healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- Twenty-eight adults with ADHD and 28 healthy controls (HC) participated.
- Participants completed clinical symptom and self-assessment questionnaires.
- Skin conductance responses were measured during a modified Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART), analyzed using linear mixed-effects models.
Main Results:
- ADHD participants showed higher emotional arousal before and after decision-making.
- While HC engaged in riskier behavior, a significant interaction between group and anticipatory skin conductance influenced response behavior.
- Anticipatory skin conductance correlated positively with reaction time in HC, but negatively in ADHD.
Conclusions:
- Altered physiological activity was observed during risky decision-making in adult ADHD.
- Results support the hypothesis of an aberrant link between bodily responses and risky behavior in adult ADHD.
- Further research on age and gender influences on physiological activity in ADHD is warranted.
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