Executive function oculomotor tasks in girls with ADHD.
OBJECTIVE
To assess executive function in girls with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) using oculomotor tasks as possible trait markers for neurobiological studies.


METHODS
Thirty-two girls aged 6 to 13 years with DSM-IV ADHD and 20 age-matched, normal control girls were tested on a variety of oculomotor tasks requiring attention, working memory, and response inhibition, which included smooth pursuit, delayed response, and go-no go tasks.


RESULTS
Girls with ADHD performed the delayed response task correctly on 32% of trials as measured by number of memory-guided saccades, in contrast to 62% of trials for control subjects (p = .0009). Patients made twice as many commission errors to no go stimuli (p = .0001) and 3 times as many intrusion errors (saccades in the absence of go or no go stimuli; p = .004) during the go-no go task compared with controls. Smooth pursuit performance was statistically equivalent across subject groups. Repeated testing in a subgroup of 15 patients revealed substantial practice effects on go-no go performance.


CONCLUSIONS
The data confirm that girls with ADHD exhibit impairments in executive function, as has been reported in boys, implying a similar pathophysiology of ADHD in both sexes. However, practice effects may limit the utility of the oculomotor go-no go task for some neurobiological studies.
Castellanos
F X
FX
Child Psychiatry Branch, NIMH, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Marvasti
F F
FF
Ducharme
J L
JL
Walter
J M
JM
Israel
M E
ME
Krain
A
A
Pavlovsky
C
C
Hommer
D W
DW
D000293:Adolescent; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D005403:Fixation, Ocular / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011930:Reaction Time; D012438:Saccades / Q000502:physiology*