Neely Kristina A, Wang Peiyuan, Chennavasin Amanda P, Samimy Shaadee, Tucker Jacqueline, Merida Andrea, Perez-Edgar Koraly, Huang-Pollock Cynthia
Department of Kinesiology, The Pennsylvania State University, PA 16802, USA.
Department of Kinesiology, The Pennsylvania State University, PA 16802, USA.
Neuropsychologia. 2017 May;99:172-178. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.03.012. Epub 2017 Mar 9.
Poor inhibitory control is a well-established cognitive correlate of adults with ADHD. However, the simple reaction time (RT) task used in a majority of studies records performance errors only via the presence or absence of a single key press. This all-or-nothing response makes it impossible to capture subtle differences in underlying processes that shape performance. Subsequently, all-or-nothing tasks may underestimate the prevalence of executive function deficits in ADHD. The current study measured inhibitory control using a standard Go/No-Go RT task and a more sensitive continuous grip force task among adults with (N=51, 22 female) and without (N=51, 29 female) ADHD. Compared to adults without ADHD, adults with ADHD made more failed inhibits in the classic Go/No-Go paradigm and produced greater and more variable force during motor inhibition. The amount of force produced on failed inhibits was a stronger predictor of ADHD-related symptoms than the number of commissions in the standard RT task. Adults with ADHD did not differ from those without ADHD on the mean force and variability of force produced in Go trials. These findings suggest that the use of a precise and continuous motor task, such as the force task used here, provides additional information about the nature of inhibitory motor control in adults with ADHD.
抑制控制能力差是成人注意力缺陷多动障碍（ADHD）公认的认知相关因素。然而，大多数研究中使用的简单反应时（RT）任务仅通过是否有单次按键来记录表现错误。这种非此即彼的反应方式使得无法捕捉影响表现的潜在过程中的细微差异。因此，非此即彼的任务可能会低估ADHD患者执行功能缺陷的患病率。本研究在患有ADHD（N = 51，22名女性）和未患ADHD（N = 51，29名女性）的成年人中，使用标准的Go/No-Go反应时任务和更敏感的持续握力任务来测量抑制控制能力。与未患ADHD的成年人相比，患ADHD的成年人在经典的Go/No-Go范式中抑制失败的次数更多，并且在运动抑制过程中产生的力量更大且更具变异性。抑制失败时产生的力量大小比标准反应时任务中的错误次数更能预测与ADHD相关的症状。在Go试验中，患ADHD成年人与未患ADHD成年人在平均力量和力量变异性方面没有差异。这些发现表明，使用精确的持续运动任务，例如此处使用的力量任务，可以提供有关ADHD成年人抑制性运动控制本质的额外信息。
