title: Examination of spatial working memory performance in children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, combined type (ADHD-CT) and anxiety.
abstract: Spatial working memory (SWM) is known to be impaired in children with ADHD-CT, whether anxiety is present or not. Yet, it remains unclear whether anxiety disorders add to the SWM impairments evident in ADHD-CT and whether these findings extend into adolescents with ADHD-CT and anxiety. Further, it is not yet known whether children and adolescents with carefully defined anxiety disorders alone, demonstrate SWM deficits. This study explored the association of SWM and its strategy and spatial span components in carefully defined children and adolescents (age 6-16 years) with ADHD-CT alone (N = 163; 14 % female), ADHD-CT and anxiety (N = 243; 23 % female), anxiety disorders alone (N = 69; 25 % female) compared to age- and gender-matched healthy control participants (N = 116; 19 % female). The relationship between SWM and its strategy and span components and core ADHD-CT symptoms and anxiety symptoms were also examined. There was no evidence of an additive effect of ADHD and anxiety on SWM, strategy and spatial span deficits. But, anxiety disorders alone were associated with impaired SWM and span performance compared to healthy control participants. In contrast, strategy did not differ between children and adolescents with anxiety disorders alone and healthy control participants, suggesting that with anxiety span is the most affected component. Further, these findings were age-independent. This study concurs with and extends current influential models about the cognitive effects of anxiety on performance in the setting of ADHD-CT. Clinical implications and future research directions are discussed.
authors: Academic Child Psychiatry Unit, Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Royal Children's Hospital, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia. alasdair.vance@rch.org.au
authors: Alasdair
authors: A
authors: Vance
authors: Maite
authors: M
authors: Ferrin
authors: Jo
authors: J
authors: Winther
authors: Rapson
authors: R
authors: Gomez
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D013028:Space Perception; D014739:Victoria
references: J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2010 Jul;51(7):838-49
references: 20085608
references: J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2011 Jan;50(1):32-45
references: 21156268
references: Neuropsychologia. 1998 Mar;36(3):273-93
references: 9622192
references: Psychol Med. 2005 Aug;35(8):1109-20
references: 16116937
references: J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2006 Jan;47(1):4-15
references: 16405635
references: Neurobiol Aging. 2010 Jun;31(6):1020-31
references: 18760505
references: J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2010 Feb;38(2):149-61
references: 19787447
references: Clin Psychol Rev. 2010 Aug;30(6):669-90
references: 20554362
references: J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1996 Mar;35(3):319-24
references: 8714320
references: J Atten Disord. 2006 Nov;10(2):141-9
references: 17085624
references: Behav Brain Funct. 2007 Jan 15;3:4
references: 17224054
references: Nature. 1995 Nov 16;378(6554):279-81
references: 7477346
references: Psychol Med. 2005 Oct;35(10):1433-43
references: 16164767
references: Hum Brain Mapp. 2012 Aug;33(8):1973-86
references: 21769993
references: Emotion. 2006 Feb;6(1):40-61
references: 16637749
references: Psychiatry Res. 2009 Dec 30;170(2-3):177-82
references: 19900713
references: Eur Psychiatry. 2007 Mar;22(2):104-15
references: 17227707
references: J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1997 Aug;36(8):1065-79
references: 9256586
references: Psychol Bull. 2000 Mar;126(2):220-46
references: 10748641
references: Nat Rev Neurosci. 2002 Aug;3(8):617-28
references: 12154363
references: Schizophr Res. 2003 Dec 15;65(2-3):95-103
references: 14630302
references: Neurobiol Learn Mem. 2005 Jan;83(1):33-42
references: 15607686
references: Neuroimage. 1997 Jan;5(1):49-62
references: 9038284
references: Am J Psychiatry. 2007 Jun;164(6):942-8
references: 17541055
references: Neuropsychologia. 2008 Sep;46(11):2668-82
references: 18573510
references: J Affect Disord. 2010 Aug;124(3):283-90
references: 20064664
references: Psychol Rev. 1984 Apr;91(2):153-84
references: 6571423
references: Cereb Cortex. 1996 Jan-Feb;6(1):11-20
references: 8670634
references: J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2005 Apr;44(4):377-84
references: 15782085
references: J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2000 Jan;39(1):49-58
references: 10638067
references: Neuroimage. 2001 Jul;14(1 Pt 1):48-59
references: 11525336
references: Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2002 Apr;36(2):234-9
references: 11982546
references: J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 1999 Nov;40(8):1169-83
references: 10604396
references: Biol Psychiatry. 2005 Jun 1;57(11):1336-46
references: 15950006
references: Dev Sci. 2009 Jul;12(4):F9-15
references: 19635074
references: Mol Psychiatry. 2007 Sep;12(9):826-32, 793
references: 17471290
references: J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2000 Dec;28(6):527-41
references: 11104315
references: Dementia. 1994 Sep-Oct;5(5):266-81
references: 7951684
references: J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1995 Jul;34(7):886-96
references: 7649959
references: Brain. 1993 Oct;116 ( Pt 5):1159-75
references: 8221053
references: Percept Mot Skills. 1996 Jun;82(3 Pt 2):1223-31
references: 8823887
references: J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1999 Aug;38(8):966-75
references: 10434488
references: J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1989 Sep;28(5):707-13
references: 2793798
references: J Atten Disord. 2008 Mar;11(5):546-57
references: 18094325
references: Neuropsychologia. 1995 Jan;33(1):1-24
references: 7731533
references: BMC Neurosci. 2010 May 07;11:60
references: 20459640
references: J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2005 Apr;33(2):165-77
references: 15839495
references: Psychol Med. 2001 Aug;31(6):1107-15
references: 11513378
references: J R Soc Med. 1992 Jul;85(7):399-402
references: 1629849
references: J Abnorm Child Psychol. 1997 Dec;25(6):487-97
references: 9468109
references: J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2001 Feb;40(2):147-58
references: 11211363
references: J Affect Disord. 2010 Jul;124(1-2):45-53
references: 19945751
references: Trends Cogn Sci. 2001 Mar 1;5(3):119-126
references: 11239812
references: Emotion. 2007 May;7(2):336-53
references: 17516812
references: Neuroimage. 2006 Apr 15;30(3):950-62
references: 16413797
references: J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2004 Jul;45(5):912-26
references: 15225335
references: J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2009 May;15(3):331-43
references: 19402919
references: J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1992 May;31(3):432-8
references: 1592774
references: Psychol Med. 1999 May;29(3):527-38
references: 10405075
references: Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1991 Oct;48(10):928-34
references: 1929763
references: Cereb Cortex. 1996 Jan-Feb;6(1):31-8
references: 8670636