A Preliminary Investigation of Deficits in Executive Functions of Adults With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Abstract
Several studies over the past two decades have investigated the neuropsychological deficits in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but much less has been done on adults. This study aimed to assess the deficits in executive functions of adults with ADHD, especially in the areas of attention, inhibition, impulsivity, and planning. Twenty-four adults (18 years and older) diagnosed with ADHD according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition criteria, and also assessed with Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scale, participated in the study. Executive functions in cases were compared with 20 matched controls through the three instruments of Tower of London (TOL), Continuous Performance Test (CPT), and Stroop test. Performance of cases was weaker than that of the control group in TOL. The difference was significant in subsequent thinking time in most of the trials and number of movements only at level 2. In CPT, the adults with ADHD made more commission errors. In addition, the ADHD cases made more errors in the word card of the Stroop test, and the time they spent reading all three cards was significantly longer than that of the control group. Our study suggests that several deficits in executive functions related to ADHD persist into adulthood, such as impairments in planning time and set shifting, response inhibition, impulsivity, and visuolingual processing. However, simple (visual-motor processing) and sustained attention might improve with age.
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Deficits in adult ADHD are frequently observed in sustained and divided attention, planning and set-shifting, response inhibition, and interference control.
“Deficits are frequently observed in sustained and divided attention, planning and set-shifting (e.g., Tower of London), response inhibition (e.g., Continuous Performance Test), and interference control (e.g., Stroop) [92,93,96].”
From ADHD in Adulthood: Clinical Presentation, Comorbidities, and Treatment Perspectives (2025) · cites this paper as [96]
As a group, adults with ADHD perform worse than non-clinical controls on tasks assessing executive functions.
“Empirical evidence from neuropsychological testing confirms that, as a group, adults with ADHD perform worse than non-clinical controls on tasks assessing these functions.”
From ADHD in Adulthood: Clinical Presentation, Comorbidities, and Treatment Perspectives (2025) · cites this paper as [96]
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ADHD in Adulthood: Clinical Presentation, Comorbidities, and Treatment Perspectives
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“Deficits are frequently observed in sustained and divided attention, planning and set-shifting (e.g., Tower of London), response inhibition (e.g., Continuous Performance Test), and interference control (e.g., Stroop) [92,93,96].”
- Authors
- Alaghband-rad, J., Dashti, B., Tehranidoost, M., Zargarinejad, G., & FarhadBeigi, P.
- Affiliations
- Institute for Cognitive Science Studies (IR)
- Institute for Cognitive Science Studies (ICSS), Tehran, Iran
- Iran University of Medical Sciences (IR)
- Corresponding author
- Dashti, Behnoosh
- FarhadBeigi, Parvaneh
- Venue
- Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease
- Published
- 2020-10-22
- Volume
- 209
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 35-39
- ISSN
- 0022-3018 (ISSN-L)
- 1539-736X
- OpenAlex
- W3093717257
- Cited by
- 10
- References
- 32
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 1
- FWCI
- 0.73
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Developmental and Educational Neuropsychology
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Keywords
- adult ADHD, executive function, neuropsychological deficits, response inhibition, impulsivity, planning, set-shifting, sustained attention, Tower of London, continuous performance test, Stroop task, Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scale
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Female, Humans, Male, Neuropsychological Tests, Case-Control Studies, Executive Function, Cognitive Dysfunction
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