Hyperactivity in Boys with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A Ubiquitous Core Symptom or Manifestation of Working Memory Deficits?

    Authors

    M. D. Rapport; J. Bolden; M. J. Kofler; D. E. Sarver; J. S. Raiker;R. M. Alderson

    Abbreviated Journal Title

    J. Abnorm. Child Psychol.

    Keywords

    ADHD; Working memory; Hyperactivity; Activity level; Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; CONTINUOUS PERFORMANCE TASK; ACTIVITY LEVEL; SUSTAINED ATTENTION; NORMAL-CHILDREN; MOTOR-ACTIVITY; SHORT-TERM; VALIDITY; MODEL; AGE; METHYLPHENIDATE; Psychology, Clinical; Psychology, Developmental

    Abstract

    Hyperactivity is currently considered a core and ubiquitous feature of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); however, an alternative model challenges this premise and hypothesizes a functional relationship between working memory (WM) and activity level. The current study investigated whether children's activity level is functionally related to WM demands associated with the domain-general central executive and subsidiary storage/rehearsal components using tasks based on Baddeley's (Working memory, thought, and action. New York: Oxford University Press 2007) WM model. Activity level was objectively measured 16 times per second using wrist- and ankle-worn actigraphs while 23 boys between 8 and 12 years of age completed control tasks and visuospatial/phonological WM tasks of increasing memory demands. All children exhibited significantly higher activity rates under all WM relative to control conditions, and children with ADHD (n = 12) moved significantly more than typically developing children (n = 11) under all conditions. Activity level in all children was associated with central executive but not storage/rehearsal functioning, and higher activity rates exhibited by children with ADHD under control conditions were fully attenuated by removing variance directly related to central executive processes.

    Journal Title

    Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology

    Volume

    37

    Issue/Number

    4

    Publication Date

    1-1-2009

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    521

    Last Page

    534

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000264879800006

    ISSN

    0091-0627

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