Cognitive control and emotional response in attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder comorbidity with disruptive, impulse-control, and conduct disorders

BMC Psychiatry

Yiru Fang¹  Qing Cai²  Lily Tao²  Haifeng Ji³  Xixi Jiang³  Tianming Huang³  Daoliang Yang³  Lianxue Xue³  Li Liu³  Yuncheng Zhu⁴  Kaiyun Li⁵ 

[1] Clinical Research Center, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 200030, Shanghai, China;CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, 200031, Shanghai, China;Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic disorders, 201108, Shanghai, China;Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (MOE & STCSM), Shanghai Changning-ECNU Mental Health Center, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, 200062, Shanghai, China;Shanghai Changning Mental Health Center, 200335, Shanghai, China;Shanghai Hongkou Mental Health Center, 200083, Shanghai, China;Clinical Research Center, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 200030, Shanghai, China;Shanghai Changning Mental Health Center, 200335, Shanghai, China;University of Jinan, Shandong Province, 250022, Jinan, China;

关键词: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder;    Disruptive, impulse-control, and conduct disorders;    Neural network;    Cognitive control;    Stroop effect;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12888-021-03221-2

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThis study investigated cognitive and emotional functioning in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and disruptive, impulse-control, and conduct disorders (DICCD).MethodsThirty patients with ADHD, 26 with DICCD, 22 with ADHD+DICCD were recruited from the outpatient department of Shanghai Changning Mental Health Center, plus 20 healthy controls (HC). Differences between the groups in cognitive and emotional functioning were examined using Golden’s Stroop and Emotional Stroop tests. For Emotional Stroop Mean reaction time (RT) of positive word (POS) and negative word (NEG) with color congruence (C) or incongruence (I) were recorded as POS-C, POS-I, NEG-C and NEG-I, respectively.ResultsFor Golden’s interference scores (IGs), both errors and RTs in the ADHD group were higher than in the other groups. Longer mean RTs of POS-C, POS-I, NEG-C and neural word (NEU) of the ADHD group, and NEG-I of ADHD+DICCD and DICCD groups were observed compared to HC. After 12 weeks of methylphenidate treatment, differences between ADHD subgroups and HC on Golden’s Stroop RT disappeared, but differences in Golden’s Stroop errors and Emotional Stroop mean RTs remained. The ADHD+DICCD group showed longer mean RTs in NEG-C, NEG-I and NEU of the Emotional Stroop test than the ADHD group.ConclusionsOur study shows that regardless of emotional responding, deficit in cognitive control is the core symptom of ADHD. However, emotionally biased stimuli may cause response inhibitory dysfunction among DICCD with callous-unemotional traits, and the comorbidity of ADHD and DICCD tends to account for the negative emotional response characteristic of DICCD. These deficits may be eliminated by medication treatment in ADHD, but not the ADHD with comorbid DICCD. Our results support the notion that ADHD with comorbid DICCD is more closely related to DICCD than to ADHD.

【 授权许可】

CC BY