Neuropsychological Assessment of Response Inhibition in Adults With ADHD

Abstract

Several theoretical models suggest that the core deficit of ADHD is a deficiency in response inhibition. While neuropsychological deficits in response inhibition are well documented in ADHD children, research on these deficits in adult ADHD populations is minimal. Twenty-five adult ADHD patients, 15 anxiety-disordered adult patients, and 30 normal adults completed three neuropsychological tests of response inhibition: the Continuous Performance Test, Posner Visual Orienting Test, and the Stop Signal Task. ADHD adults demonstrated response inhibition performance deficits when compared to both normal adults and anxiety disordered adults only on the Continuous Performance Test. A similar pattern of differences was not observed on the other two neuropsychological tests. Differing results between tasks may be due to differences in test reliability, task parameters, or the targeted area of brain functioning assessed by each test.

Nicotine and Behavioral Markers of Risk for Schizophrenia A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Cross-Over Study

“…Conner's CPT is primarily a measure of response inhibition and is, in fact, used as a measure of impulsivity in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ADHD (e.g. Epstein et al 2001). In contrast, in the identical-pairs version of the CPT, subjects are asked to respond only when two consecutive stimuli are identical.…”

Differential Effects of Methylphenidate on Problem Solving in Adults With ADHD

“…Psychometric assessments have demonstrated that, in comparison to healthy adults, adult patients with ADHD display deficiencies of various functions which have been associated with the frontal lobes. These include attention, working memory, concept formation, impulsivity, and shifting (Arcia & Gualtieri, 1994;Boonstra, Oosterlaan, Sergeant, & Buitelaar, 2005;Corbett & Stanczak, 1999;Dinn, Robbins, & Harris, 2001;Epstein, Johnson, Varia, & Conners, 2001;Holdnack, Moberg, Arnold, Gur, & Gur, 1995;Hollingsworth, McAuliffe, & Knowlton, 2001;Hopkins, Perlman, Hechtman, & Weiss, 1979;Horton, 1996;Johnson et al, 2001;Klee, Garfinkel, & Beauchesne, 1986;Kovner et al, 1998;Lovejoy et al, 1999;Silverstein, Como, Palumbo, West, & Osborn, 1995;Tucha et al, 2006;Walker, Shores, Trollor, Lee, & Sachdev, 2000). However, problem-solving abilities of adults with ADHD have not been examined in detail.…”

Inhibitory Control Test for the Detection of Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy in Patients with Cirrhosis of Liver

“…2 The PHES, has been extensively validated in the Spanish, 11 German, 12 Italian 13 and Indian 14 populations and can be performed in 15-20 min in an outpatient setting. [14][15][16]31 This battery of paper and pencil tests examines multiple cognitive functions such as motor speed and accuracy, visual perception, visuo-spatial orientation, visual construction, concentration, attention and working memory and relies heavily on the motor function of the patient. The weakness of this tool is the need for data related to educational level and age-adjusted distribution and it can only be administered by a qualified person.…”

“…1,2,[11][12][13][14] The inhibitory control test (ICT) is a computerized test of attention and response inhibition that has been used to characterize attention deficit disorder, schizophrenia, and traumatic brain injury. [15][16][17][18] The ICT has recently been added to the list of tests for the diagnosis of MHE. It has been validated for the diagnosis and follow-up of MHE in the USA, and has been found to be a sensitive and reliable test.…”