Rapid Visual Information Processing as a Cognitive Endophenotype of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Deficits in sustained attention and reaction time are core features of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, little is known about attention performance in unaffected siblings. Hence, we examined sustained attention and reaction time in youths with ADHD, unaffected siblings and controls to test whether impaired performance in attention tasks can be a potential endophenotype of ADHD. METHOD: We recruited 438 probands with clinical diagnosis of ADHD according to DSM-IV criteria, 180 unaffected siblings, and 173 healthy controls without lifetime ADHD. They were assessed using psychiatric interviews, Conners' Continuous Performance Test, and the tasks involving attention performance of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB): Rapid Visual Information Processing (RVP), Reaction Time (RTI) and Match to Sample Visual Search (MTS). Multi-level models were used for data analysis. RESULTS: Compared with the controls, probands with ADHD and unaffected siblings had significantly higher total misses, lower probability of hits in the RVP task and probands with ADHD performed worse in the RTI and MTS tasks after controlling for sex, age, co-morbidity, parental educational levels and IQ. The duration of methylphenidate use and IQ but not psychiatric co-morbidity or current use of methylphenidate were associated with deficits in sustained attention in probands with ADHD. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that attention performance assessed by the RVP task, but not the RTI or MTS tasks, of the CANTAB may be a useful cognitive endophenotype for ADHD genetic studies.
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In children and adolescents with ADHD, cognitive deficits have mainly been found regarding working memory and processing speed.
“In children and adolescents with ADHD, cognitive deficits have mainly been found regarding working memory (Kasper et al. 2012; Martinussen et al. 2005) and processing speed (Gau and Huang 2014; Salum et al. 2014; Shanahan et al. 2006).”
From Measurement Invariance of the WISC-V across a Clinical Sample of Children and Adolescents with ADHD and a Matched Control Group (2024) · cites this paper as Gau and Huang 2014
The worse performance of children and adolescents with ADHD on WMI and PSI is in line with previous research highlighting decreased working memory capacity and limitations in processing speed in ADHD.
“The worse performance of children and adolescents with ADHD on WMI and PSI is in line with previous research highlighting a decreased working memory capacity in children with ADHD (Kasper et al. 2012; Martinussen et al. 2005) and limitations in processing speed (Gau and Huang 2014; Salum et al. 2014; Shanahan et al. 2006).”
From Measurement Invariance of the WISC-V across a Clinical Sample of Children and Adolescents with ADHD and a Matched Control Group (2024) · cites this paper as Gau and Huang 2014
Behavioral problems and cognitive deficits of children and adolescents with ADHD may likely manifest themselves in performances primarily associated with working memory and processing speed.
“As described previously, the behavioral problems and cognitive deficits of children and adolescents with ADHD may likely manifest themselves in performances primarily associated with working memory and processing speed (Gau and Huang 2014; Kasper et al. 2012; Martinussen et al. 2005; Salum et al. 2014; Shanahan et al. 2006).”
From Measurement Invariance of the WISC-V across a Clinical Sample of Children and Adolescents with ADHD and a Matched Control Group (2024) · cites this paper as Gau and Huang 2014
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- Authors
- Gau, S. S.-F., & Huang, W.-L.
- Affiliations
- National Taiwan University (TW)
- Corresponding author
- Gau, S. S.-F.
- Venue
- Psychological Medicine
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2013-04-08
- Volume
- 44
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 435-446
- ISSN
- 0033-2917 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-8978
- OpenAlex
- W2144140766
- Cited by
- 74
- References
- 54
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 3
- FWCI
- 4.01
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychological Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Keywords
- attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, endophenotypes, sustained attention, reaction time, rapid visual information processing, unaffected siblings, methylphenidate, visual search, CANTAB, Conners' Continuous Performance Test, ADHD genetics
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Attention, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Child, Cognition, Female, Humans, Male, Neuropsychological Tests, Visual Perception, Siblings, Endophenotypes
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