Frustration Modulates Attentional Control and Affective Processing in Adults With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Clinical Research

Background:

• Emotion dysregulation is a key characteristic of adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
• The precise mechanisms through which emotional states influence attentional control in ADHD are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of reward and frustration on behavioral performance and neural activity (event-related potentials - ERPs) in adults with ADHD.
• To examine how different affective contexts modulate attentional control and feedback processing in adults with ADHD.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Affective Posner Task (APT) with 55 adult participants (25 ADHD, 30 typically developing).
• Recorded 32-channel electroencephalogram (EEG) during Baseline, Reward, and Frustration conditions.
• Analyzed stimulus-locked P3 (attentional allocation) and feedback-locked FRN and LPP (evaluative and affective-motivational processing).

Main Results:

• Adults with ADHD exhibited increased errors specifically under frustration, despite faster response times in this condition.
• Event-related potentials showed heightened P3 amplitudes during frustration, with reduced P3 in ADHD participants on incongruent trials.
• Adults with ADHD displayed significantly increased Late Positive Potential (LPP) amplitudes during frustration for both gains and losses, indicating prolonged affective-motivational engagement.

Conclusions:

• Frustration disproportionately disrupts behavioral accuracy in adults with ADHD.
• Distinct neural signatures, particularly in feedback processing (LPP), differentiate adults with ADHD in frustrating conditions.
• Findings underscore the significant impact of affective context on cognitive control in adult ADHD.