title: Delay discounting of reward in ADHD: application in young children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A key underlying process that may contribute to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) involves alterations in reward evaluation, including assessing the relative value of immediate over delayed rewards. This study examines whether children with ADHD discount the value of delayed rewards to a greater degree than typically developing children using a delay discounting task.
  
  
  METHODS
  Children aged 7-9 years diagnosed with ADHD and controls completed a task in which they chose between a hypothetical $10 available after a delay (7, 30, 90 and 180 days) versus various amounts available immediately.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ADHD participants discounted more steeply than controls. However, this effect did not survive covarying of IQ.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ADHD is associated with a steeper delay gradient when contemplating hypothetical later rewards, but not independently of IQ. The interplay of cognitive processing and IQ with reward evaluation in ADHD requires further exploration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Neuroscience Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health & Science University, USA Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, USA.
authors.forename: Vanessa B
authors.initials: VB
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Suzanne H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: Erica D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Musser
authors.forename: Colleen F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Schmitt
authors.forename: Joel T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Nigg
mesh_terms: D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D008297:Male; D008606:Mental Processes; D012201:Reward; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D013997:Time Factors