Superior motor competence in children with ADHD is associated with optimized neurocognitive development of inhibitory
Ting-Yu Chueh1, Yu-Jung Tsai2, Jia-Hao Wu3
1Master's Program of Transition and Leisure Education for Individuals with Disabilities, University of Taipei, Taiwan.
Insights
Children with ADHD and higher motor competence (MC) show better inhibitory control, comparable to typically developing peers. Enhanced MC may mitigate neurocognitive deficits in ADHD.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is frequently associated with neurocognitive deficits, particularly in inhibitory control.
- Motor competence (MC) has been linked to improved inhibitory control in children with ADHD, but research has limitations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between higher motor competence (MC) and enhanced neurocognitive development in children with ADHD.
- To assess inhibitory control using behavioral and neuroelectric measures in children with ADHD and varying levels of MC.
Main Methods:
- Sixty children with ADHD were categorized into high MC and low MC groups.
- Typically developing (TD) children served as a healthy control group.
- The Stroop task and electroencephalography (EEG) measuring P3 component were used to assess inhibitory control.
Main Results:
- TD children exhibited superior accuracy and reaction time compared to the low MC ADHD group.
- The high MC ADHD group showed significantly shorter reaction times and greater P3 amplitude than the low MC ADHD group.
- Neurocognitive performance in the high MC ADHD group was comparable to TD children in some aspects.
Conclusions:
- Superior motor competence (MC) in children with ADHD is linked to better neurocognitive development and inhibitory control.
- Enhanced MC may play a crucial role in mitigating inhibitory control deficits in children with ADHD.
- Findings suggest motor interventions could be beneficial for children with ADHD.
Background:
Neurocognitive deficits, especially inhibitory control processing, are common developmental challenges in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Although previous studies have suggested that greater motor competence (MC) is associated with better inhibitory control on both behavioral and neuroelectric levels in children with ADHD, some limitations exist.
Aims:
To examine whether higher MC is associated with improved neurocognitive development in children with ADHD, as indexed by behavioral and neuroelectric indices of inhibitory control in a well-designed study.
Methods:
Sixty children with ADHD were divided into high MC (n = 30) and low MC (n = 30) groups, based on the median total composite scores from the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency. Forty-four typically developing (TD) children were recruited as the healthy control. The Stroop task was administered to assess inhibitory control while electroencephalography was recorded to derive P3 component.
Results:
The TD children group demonstrated higher accuracy rate (AR), shorter reaction time (RT), and greater P3 amplitude relative to the Low MC ADHD group (ps = .02). However, the TD children group had higher AR compared to the High MC ADHD group, with no significant differences in RT (p = .927) and P3 amplitude (p = .796). Further, the High MC ADHD group demonstrated shorter RT (p = .019) and greater P3 amplitude (p = .041) regardless of congruency compared to the Low MC ADHD group while accounting for intelligence quotient and aerobic fitness.
Conclusions:
Superior MC in children with ADHD is associated with favorable neurocognitive development, as evidenced not only by the association of MC with enhanced inhibitory control performance and increased P3 amplitude but also by that such neurocognitive performance is comparable to those of TD children. These findings suggest that enhanced MC plays a role in mitigating typical neurocognitive deficits associated with inhibitory control processing in children with ADHD.
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