title: Executive functioning among Finnish adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study examined cognitive functioning in a population sample of adolescents with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample consisted of 457 adolescents ages 16 to 18 who were assessed using a battery of cognitive tasks. Performance according to diagnostic group (control, behavior disorder, and ADHD) and sex was compared. Then, the effect of executive function deficit (EFD) was assessed by diagnostic group status on behavioral and cognitive measures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  When compared to non-ADHD groups, adolescents with ADHD exhibited deficits on almost all of the cognitive measures. The behavior disorder group obtained scores that were generally intermediate between the ADHD and control groups, but exhibited deficits in intelligence and executive function similar to the ADHD group. Approximately half the ADHD sample had EFD; however, the type and presence of EFDs were not differentially related to cognitive performance as a function of diagnosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings indicate that EFDs are more frequent in ADHD than control or behavior disorder groups. EFDs are a general risk factor for poor cognitive functioning across multiple domains, irrespective of diagnostic status.
authors.affiliation: University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
authors.forename: Sandra K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Loo
authors.forename: Lorie A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Humphrey
authors.forename: Terttu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tapio
authors.forename: Irma K
authors.initials: IK
authors.lastname: Moilanen
authors.forename: James J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: McGough
authors.forename: James T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: McCracken
authors.forename: May H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Jeff
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dang
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Taanila
authors.forename: Hanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ebeling
authors.forename: Marjo-Riitta
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Järvelin
authors.forename: Susan L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Smalley
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011930:Reaction Time; D012720:Severity of Illness Index