Neuropsychological function in adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

Effects of methylphenidate on memory functions of adults with ADHD

“…Nonmedicated patients with ADHD were found to have large impairments on multiple aspects of memory which exceeded their impairments of attention in severity (impairments of attention were of medium size). The severity of memory impairments of adults with ADHD were also stressed in previous studies on neuropsychological functions of patients with ADHD (Altgassen, Kretschmer et al, 2014;Muir-Broaddus et al, 2002;Seidman et al, 1998) and can presumably be explained by the high demand of these memory functions on executive control. Contrary to our expectations, however, intact abilities of adults with ADHD were found in working memory.…”

“…More recently, theoretical considerations and empirical research suggested that executive dysfunctions of adults with ADHD might also adversely affect memory functions of patients (Altgassen, Koch, & Kliegel, 2014;Altgassen, Kretschmer, & Kliegel, 2014;Fuermaier et al, 2014Fuermaier et al, , 2015Fuermaier, Tucha, Koerts, Aschenbrenner, Westermann, et al, 2013;Muir-Broaddus, Rosenstein, Medina, & Soderberg, 2002;Pollak, Kahana-Vax, & Hoofien, 2008;Seidman, Biederman, Weber, Hatch, & Faraone, 1998). For example, adults with ADHD have been shown to suffer from deficits of both the encoding of new information as well as the recall of stored information, whereas the retention of learned information & Routhieaux, 1995;Kliegel, McDaniel, & Einstein, 2000).…”

“…A basic test battery of attention was also administered to all participants in order to describe their level of cognition on routine neuropsychological measures used for adults with ADHD. Given theoretical models describing ADHD as disorder of executive control (Barkley, 1997;Castellanos et al, 2006), and based on previous research revealing memory impairments in adults with ADHD (e.g., Altgassen, Koch, et al, 2014;Fuermaier, Tucha, Koerts, Aschenbrenner, Westermann, et al, 2013;Pollak et al, 2008;Seidman et al, 1998), it was expected that (a) adults with ADHD not-treated with MPH showed impaired memory functions when compared to healthy individuals, with the largest effect sizes expected in memory functions which required high demands on executive control, i.e., free recall of information (compared to word recognition), source memory and prospective memory. Furthermore, given the conclusive findings demonstrating that MPH effectively improves symptoms, cognition and functioning of adults with ADHD (e.g., Coghill et al, 2013;Vidal-Estrada et al, 2012;S.…”

"Neurocognitive features of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in a Non-clinical Adult Sample"

“…Sustained attention impairment among ADHD adults is one of the most notable cognitive difficulties and a core feature of the disorder (Barkley, Murphy, & Kwansnic, 1996;Holdnack et al, 1995;Seidman, Biederman, Weber, Hatch, & Faraone, 1998). The mechanism by which sustained attention is disrupted may differ across subtypes.…”

Executive Function in Children, Adolescents, and Adults With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Introduction to the Special Issue

“…Results have been inconsistent across studies investigating EFs and ADHD, however, and impairments are commonly found on some but not all EF tasks (Barkley, Grodzinsky & DuPaul, 1992;Berlin et al, 2004;Seidman, Biederman, Weber, Hatch, & Faraone, 1998;Weyandt, 2004). For example, Weyandt and Willis (1994) found that children with ADHD performed more poorly than nondisabled children on only two of six EF measures.…”