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Cognitive Profile of ADHD in Older Adults: A Systematic Review
Natividad Pardo-Palenzuela1,2, Iban Onandia-Hinchado3,4, Unai Diaz-Orueta5
1Universidad de Almería, Spain.
Objectives:
ADHD is now recognized as a common condition in adulthood, but the evidence supporting a separate characterization of a cognitive profile for ADHD in older adults is scarce. Consequently, the goal of the current study was to conduct a systematic review that helps clarify the cognitive characteristics of ADHD in older individuals.
Method:
We conducted a systematic review with narrative synthesis, considering studies on older adults with ADHD and research on cognitive domains involved in adults 50 years old and older with a confirmed diagnosis of ADHD, in three electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase). Ten studies (3 longitudinal and 7 cross-sectional) with clearly separated cognitive data for older adults with ADHD were included in this review.
Results:
Results showed an overall worse performance in attention and episodic memory for older adults with ADHD compared to their younger counterparts and older healthy controls. Evidence concerning executive functions was mixed, with some studies showing a worse performance in working memory compared to older healthy controls, but with other studies showing a similar or even better performance than younger adults with ADHD.
Conclusions:
A cognitive characterization of ADHD in older adults requires further research to clarify whether it can be considered a separate entity and how to establish a differential diagnosis with other age-related conditions. Moreover, there is a need for internationally agreed common neuropsychological assessment protocols that set boundaries between younger and older adults with ADHD.
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