title: Inhibitory function and working memory in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and pervasive developmental disorders: does a continuous cognitive gradient explain ADHD and PDD traits?
abstract: To clarify the relationship between attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) and pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), we investigated the common features and differences of these disorders in neuropsychological profiles. The subjects were 4 groups of Japanese boys aged 6 to 15 years, categorized by diagnosis:AD/HD (n＝20), PDD with comorbid AD/HD (PDD＋:n＝16), PDD without comorbid AD/HD (PDD－:n＝8), and typically developing (n＝60). We evaluated executive function (EF) through verbal and visuospatial memory tasks, the Go/NoGo task, and the color-word matching Stroop task. We performed a categorical analysis to estimate the effects of the 3 disorders on EF and a dimensional analysis to estimate the effects of symptom scales on EF. We found that the AD/HD and PDD＋ subjects had negative effects on verbal working memory and intra-individual response variability. The severity of these impairments was positively correlated with the inattentiveness score. The subjects with a PDD＋ or PDD－ diagnosis had poorer scores on interference control;the severity of this impairment was correlated with the PDD symptom score. Impairments in visuospatial working memory were detected in the AD/HD and PDD－ groups but not in the PDD＋ group. Impairments in inhibition of the pre-potent response were noted in all 3 categories. AD/HD and PDD share neuropsychological features, though each disorder has a specific impairment pattern. Our findings partially support the idea that AD/HD and PDD are on a spectrum.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child Neurology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama 700-8558,Japan.gmd18025@s.okayama-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Akihito
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Takeuchi
authors.forename: Tatsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ogino
authors.forename: Kaoru
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hanafusa
authors.forename: Teruko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Morooka
authors.forename: Makio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oka
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yorifuji
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ohtsuka
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics