Title

Hyperactivity in boys with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): The association between deficient behavioral inhibition, attentional processes, and objectively measured activity

Authors

Authors

R. M. Alderson; M. D. Rapport; L. J. Kasper; D. E. Sarver;M. J. Kofler

Comments

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Abbreviated Journal Title

Child Neuropsychol.

Keywords

ADHD; Behavioral inhibition; Stop-signal; Hyperactivity; Attention; DUAL PATHWAY MODEL; DSM-IV ADHD; RESPONSE-INHIBITION; EXECUTIVE; FUNCTIONS; DELAY AVERSION; MOTOR-ACTIVITY; CHILDREN; WORKING; MEMORY; PERFORMANCE; Clinical Neurology

Abstract

Contemporary models of ADHD hypothesize that hyperactivity reflects a byproduct of inhibition deficits. The current study investigated the relationship between children's motor activity and behavioral inhibition by experimentally manipulating demands placed on the limited-resource inhibition system. Twenty-two boys (ADHD = 11, TD = 11) between the ages of 8 and 12 years completed a conventional stop-signal task, two choice-task variants (no-tone, ignore-tone), and control tasks while their motor activity was measured objectively by actigraphs placed on their nondominant wrist and ankles. All children exhibited significantly higher activity rates under all three experimental tasks relative to control conditions, and children with ADHD moved significantly more than typically developing children across conditions. No differences in activity level were observed between the inhibition and noninhibition experimental tasks for either group, indicating that activity level was primarily associated with basic attentional rather than behavioral inhibition processes.

Journal Title

Child Neuropsychology

Volume

18

Issue/Number

5

Publication Date

1-1-2012

Document Type

Article

Language

English

First Page

487

Last Page

505

WOS Identifier

WOS:000307231800005

ISSN

0929-7049

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