Timing of conditioned eyeblink responses is impaired in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
Structural changes of the cerebellum have been reported in several psychiatric diseases like schizophrenia, autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Beside behavioral deficits children with ADHD often show slight motor abnormalities. Cerebellar malfunction may contribute. The cerebellum is a structure essential for motor coordination, various forms of motor learning and timing of motor responses. In the present study, eyeblink conditioning was applied to investigate learning and timing of motor responses both in children with ADHD and children with cerebellar lesions. Acquisition, timing and extinction of conditioned eyeblink responses were investigated in children with ADHD, children with chronic surgical cerebellar lesions and controls using a standard delay paradigm with two different interstimulus intervals. Timing of conditioned eyeblink responses was significantly impaired in children with ADHD in the long interstimulus interval condition. Also in children with cerebellar lesions conditioned responses (CR) tended to occur earlier than in controls. Incidences of CRs were significantly reduced in children with cerebellar lesions and tended to be less in children with ADHD than in controls. Extinction of the CRs was impaired in children with cerebellar lesions in both interstimulus interval conditions and in children with ADHD in the long interstimulus interval condition. Cerebellar malfunction may contribute to disordered eyeblink conditioning in ADHD. However, because CR abnormalities differed between ADHD and cerebellar subjects, dysfunction of non-cerebellar structures cannot be excluded.
Department of Neurology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, 45122, Essen, Germany. markus.frings@uni-duisburg-essen.de
Markus
M
Frings
Kristina
K
Gaertner
Paul
P
Buderath
Marcus
M
Gerwig
Hanna
H
Christiansen
Beate
B
Schoch
Elke R
ER
Gizewski
Johannes
J
Hebebrand
Dagmar
D
Timmann
D000293:Adolescent; D000513:Alpha Rhythm; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology*; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D002526:Cerebellar Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D003215:Conditioning, Eyelid / Q000502:physiology*; D004576:Electromyography; D005108:Extinction, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D013998:Time Perception / Q000502:physiology