Emotional response inhibition in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: neural and behavioural data. Issue 10 (24th February 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: López-Martín, S.; Albert, J.; Fernández-Jaén, A.; Carretié, L.
• Is Part Of: Psychological medicine. Volume 45:Issue 10(2015)
• Page Start: 2057
• Page End: 2071
• Publication Date: 2015-02-24
• Subjects: ADHD, -- emotion, -- emotion dysregulation, -- orbitofrontal cortex, -- P3, -- response inhibition; Psychiatry -- Periodicals; Medicine and psychology -- Periodicals; Clinical psychology -- Periodicals; 616.89
• DOI: 10.1017/S0033291714003195
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0033-2917

Abstract

Abstract : Background: Although both emotion and response inhibition are thought to be important in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), little is known about the neural mechanisms that underlie the interaction between these two processes in patients with this disorder. This study aimed at examining how emotional contexts affect inhibitory control in children with ADHD. Method: A total of 24 ADHD children and 24 healthy comparison subjects performed a modified go/no-go task during three different emotionally laden contexts: negative, neutral and positive. To explore the timing and the underlying neural substrates of emotion-modulated response inhibition, event-related potentials were measured and further analysed both at the scalp and at the voxel level. Results: Patients with ADHD showed greater activation of inhibition-related neural mechanisms (i.e. no-go P3 amplitudes and orbitofrontal cortex activity) to maintain a similar level of performance as healthy comparison subjects, especially during the emotionally arousing contexts (negative and positive). Conclusions: This study provides plausible neural mechanisms for the difficulty that ADHD children have in controlling their behaviour in highly emotional situations. Such emotional contexts might increase the need for top-down inhibitory control and put ADHD children at greater risk for impulsive behaviours and emotional dysregulation.