BACKGROUND: Attentional control difficulties in individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) might reflect poor working memory (WM) ability, especially because WM ability and attentional control rely on similar brain regions. The current study examined whether WM ability might explain group differences in brain activation between adults with ADHD and normal control subjects during attentional demand. METHODS: Participants were 20 adults with ADHD combined subtype with no comorbid psychiatric or learning disorders and 23 control subjects similar in age, IQ, and gender. The WM measures were obtained from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III and Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised. Brain activation was assessed with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while performing a Color-Word Stroop task. RESULTS: Group differences in WM ability explained a portion of the activation in left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), which has been related to the creation and maintenance of an attentional set for task-relevant information. In addition, greater WM ability predicted increased activation of brain regions related to stimulus-driven attention and response selection processes in the ADHD group but not in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The inability to maintain an appropriate task set in young adults with combined type ADHD, associated with decreased activity in left DLPFC, might in part be due to poor WM ability. Furthermore, in individuals with ADHD, higher WM ability might relate to increased recruitment of stimulus-driven attention and response selection processes, perhaps as a compensatory strategy. Copyright 2010 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
BACKGROUND: Attentional control difficulties in individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) might reflect poor working memory (WM) ability, especially because WM ability and attentional control rely on similar brain regions. The current study examined whether WM ability might explain group differences in brain activation between adults with ADHD and normal control subjects during attentional demand. METHODS:Participants were 20 adults with ADHD combined subtype with no comorbid psychiatric or learning disorders and 23 control subjects similar in age, IQ, and gender. The WM measures were obtained from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III and Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised. Brain activation was assessed with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while performing a Color-Word Stroop task. RESULTS: Group differences in WM ability explained a portion of the activation in left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), which has been related to the creation and maintenance of an attentional set for task-relevant information. In addition, greater WM ability predicted increased activation of brain regions related to stimulus-driven attention and response selection processes in the ADHD group but not in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The inability to maintain an appropriate task set in young adults with combined type ADHD, associated with decreased activity in left DLPFC, might in part be due to poor WM ability. Furthermore, in individuals with ADHD, higher WM ability might relate to increased recruitment of stimulus-driven attention and response selection processes, perhaps as a compensatory strategy. Copyright 2010 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Entities:
Keywords:
ADHD; Stroop task; adults; attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; attentional control; fMRI; functional magnetic resonance imaging; working memory
Authors: M E Raichle; A M MacLeod; A Z Snyder; W J Powers; D A Gusnard; G L Shulman Journal: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A Date: 2001-01-16 Impact factor: 11.205
Authors: M T Banich; M P Milham; R A Atchley; N J Cohen; A Webb; T Wszalek; A F Kramer; Z Liang; V Barad; D Gullett; C Shah; C Brown Journal: Brain Res Cogn Brain Res Date: 2000-09
Authors: Marie T Banich; Gregory C Burgess; Brendan E Depue; Luka Ruzic; L Cinnamon Bidwell; Sena Hitt-Laustsen; Yiping P Du; Erik G Willcutt Journal: Neuropsychologia Date: 2009-07-18 Impact factor: 3.139
Authors: Michael P Milham; Kirk I Erickson; Marie T Banich; Arthur F Kramer; Andrew Webb; Tracey Wszalek; Neal J Cohen Journal: Brain Cogn Date: 2002-08 Impact factor: 2.310
Authors: Erika Proal; Philip T Reiss; Rachel G Klein; Salvatore Mannuzza; Kristin Gotimer; Maria A Ramos-Olazagasti; Jason P Lerch; Yong He; Alex Zijdenbos; Clare Kelly; Michael P Milham; F Xavier Castellanos Journal: Arch Gen Psychiatry Date: 2011-11
Authors: Mileini Campez; Joseph S Raiker; Dustin E Sarver; Lauren M Friedman; Sarah A Orban; Mark D Rapport Journal: J Psychopathol Behav Assess Date: 2019-11-27