title: Comparing the executive attention of adult females with ADHD to that of females with sensory modulation disorder (SMD) under aversive and non-aversive auditory conditions.
abstract: Certain behavioral expressions of sensory modulation disorder (SMD) such as distractibility, hyperactivity, and impulsivity are often similar to those of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in pediatric and adult populations. There is also a high comorbidity rate between these two diagnoses and absence of research regarding the objective neuropsychological differentiation between them. In the present study we employed a factorial design which enabled us to: (a) systematically examine the effects of SMD and ADHD on executive attention in a sample of adult females using a Stroop-like task, and (b) measure the effect of aversive conditions (sounds) on executive attention. The experimental measures used were the Stroop-like Location-Direction Task (SLDT) to assess executive attention and the battery of aversiveness to sounds (BAS), a standardized measure of aversive sounds that was developed for this study and enabled individual customization of aversive auditory sounds. Results revealed, as expected, a specific core deficit in executive attention for the ADHD factor. In addition to that, the present study provides an important, pioneering finding of SMD impairment in a unique combination of a cognitively demanding task with aversive sounds, providing preliminary objective evidence differentiating SMD from ADHD.
authors.affiliation: School of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. Electronic address: tal.mazor-karse@mail.huji.ac.il.
authors.forename: Tal
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mazor-Karsenty
authors.affiliation: School of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. Electronic address: shula.parush@mail.huji.ac.il.
authors.forename: Shula
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Parush
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Biology, University of Haifa, Israel. Electronic address: yoram.bonneh@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Yoram
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bonneh
authors.affiliation: School of Education and School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Israel. Electronic address: lilachsm@tauex.tau.ac.il.
authors.forename: Lilach
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shalev
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D012678:Sensation Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); Aversive auditory stimuli; Executive attention; Sensory modulation disorder (SMD); Stroop-like