Disentangling the adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder endophenotype: Parametric measurement of attention.

Abstract

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) persists frequently into adulthood. The decomposition of endophenotypes by means of experimental neuro-cognitive assessment has the potential to improve diagnostic assessment, evaluation of treatment response, and disentanglement of genetic and environmental influences. We assessed four parameters of attentional capacity and selectivity derived from simple psychophysical tasks (verbal report of briefly presented letter displays) and based on a "theory of visual attention." These parameters are mathematically independent, quantitative measures, and previous studies have shown that they are highly sensitive for subtle attention deficits. Potential reductions of attentional capacity, that is, of perceptual processing speed and working memory storage capacity, were assessed with a whole report paradigm. Furthermore, possible pathologies of attentional selectivity, that is, selection of task-relevant information and bias in the spatial distribution of attention, were measured with a partial report paradigm. A group of 30 unmedicated adult ADHD patients and a group of 30 demographically matched healthy controls were tested. ADHD patients showed significant reductions of working memory storage capacity of a moderate to large effect size. Perceptual processing speed, task-based, and spatial selection were unaffected. The results imply a working memory deficit as an important source of behavioral impairments. The theory of visual attention parameter working memory storage capacity might constitute a quantifiable and testable endophenotype of ADHD.

Parameter‐based assessment of disturbed and intact components of visual attention in children with developmental dyslexia

“…This assumption is at least partly supported by the results of Finke et al . (), who found processing speed to be normal in an adult ADHD sample when DD was used as exclusion criterion. Further TVA‐based investigations (with larger groups of participants) specifically designed to examine the influences of DD, ADHD, and comorbidity would be required to shed light on this issue.…”

Video game experience and its influence on visual attention parameters: An investigation using the framework of the Theory of Visual Attention (TVA)

“…The validity of TVA and the related assessment tools have already been proved in various contexts. Thus, they were applied in a number of studies to systematically characterize specific groups of younger and older adult patients (e.g., Bublak et al, 2005Bublak et al, , 2011Bublak, Redel, & Finke, 2006;Duncan et al, 1999;Finke et al, 2011;Finke, Bublak, Dose, Müller, & Schneider, 2006;Habekost & Bundesen, 2003;Habekost & Starrfelt, 2009;Redel et al, 2012). Furthermore, it has been shown that the TVA attention capacity parameters react differently to enhancing manipulations, such as alertness cueing (Finke et al, 2012;Matthias et al, 2009), increase of temporal expectancy (Vangkilde, Coull, & Bundesen, 2012) and stimulating pharmacological interventions (Finke et al, 2011).…”

The Speed of Visual Attention and Motor-Response Decisions in Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

“…Latent neurocognitive traits might, thus, constitute endophenotypes of ADHD that (i) differentiate between affected and unaffected individuals, (ii) are more closely related to the neurobiological changes associated with adult ADHD than the overt symptoms, and (iii) might provide specific information about target functions for interventions (11). In this regard, various attention tasks have been used to study ADHD, with the general finding being that children and adults with ADHD exhibit slowed response times (RTs) FOOTNOTE 1 (except for the most basic response tasks, [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21].…”