Neuropediatrics 2006; 37 - TP97
DOI: 10.1055/s-2006-945690

NEUROCOGNITIVE ENDOPHENOTYPES OF ADHD

A Pasini 1, C Paloscia 1, R Alessandrelli 1, B Manzi 1, C Rosa 1, C Porfirio 1, P Curatolo 1
  • 1Unit of Child Neuropsychiatry, University of Rome 'Tor Vergata', Rome, Italy

Objectives: Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent chronic developmental disorders. Impairment in executive functioning and attention has been reported in ADHD patients. Recent studies have criticized this finding. Specially, it is unclear if ADHD subtypes show different executive functioning profiles when are considered main executive functions domains. We investigate these functions and attention performance in ADHD subjects.

Methods: 45 patients with ADHD and 40 controls were evaluated. All subjects performed a clinicalpsychopathological and a neuropsychological battery. Five main domains of executive functions and attention were studied. EFs related neurocognitive ability were used such as control tasks.

Results: ADHD patients, inattentive and combined, differ from controls on response inhibition, divided attention, phonological and visual object working memory and on variability of reaction times measured with CPT. Comparison of ADHD subtypes, on five main domains of EFs, did not show presence of different executive functioning profiles.

Conclusion: The present study indicates that boys with ADHD exhibit a selective impairment on executive functions and attention tasks. ADHD subtypes don't show different neuropsychological profiles. Divided attention, working memory and inhibition of prepotent response represent valid endophenotypes of ADHD. We suggest the use of these neurocognitive deficits to improve future genetics studies.