Abstract
Many clinical studies reported a compromised brain lateralization in patients with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) without being conclusive about whether the deficit existed in the left or right hemisphere. It is well-recognized that studying ADHD dimensionally is more controlled for comorbid problems and medication effects, and provides more accurate assessment of the symptoms. Therefore, the present study applied the dimensional approach to test the relationship between brain lateralization and self-reported ADHD symptoms in a population sample. Eighty-five right-handed university students filled in the Conners’ Adult ADHD Rating Scales and performed a lateralization reaction time task. The task consists of two matching conditions: one condition requires nominal identification for letters tapping left hemisphere specialization (Letter Name-Identity condition) and the other one requires physical and visuospatial identification for shapes tapping right hemisphere specialization (Shape Physical-Identity condition). The letters or shapes to be matched are presented in left or right visual field of a fixation cross. For both task conditions, brain lateralization was indexed as the difference in mean reaction time between left and right visual field. Linear regression analyses, controlled for mood symptoms reported by a depression, anxiety, and stress scale, showed no relationship between the variables. These findings from a population sample of adults do not support the dimensionality of lateralized information processing deficit in ADHD symptomatology. However, group comparison analyses showed that subjects with high level of inattention symptoms close to or above the clinical cut-off had a reduced right hemisphere processing in the Shape Physical-Identity condition.
Highlights
With a prevalence rate of 5% in children and 1 to 7% in adults (Polanczyk and Rohde, 2007; Polanczyk et al, 2007) Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common developmental disorder characterized by impaired levels of attention and/or hyperactive-impulsive behaviors
The present study has investigated the dimensional relationship between brain lateralization and self-reported ADHD symptoms in a sample of adults
Participants had reliable responses on the Conners’ Adult ADHD Rating Scales (CAARS) indicated by lower score than eight on the inconsistency index
Summary
With a prevalence rate of 5% in children and 1 to 7% in adults (Polanczyk and Rohde, 2007; Polanczyk et al, 2007) Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common developmental disorder characterized by impaired levels of attention and/or hyperactive-impulsive behaviors. Apart from behavioral symptoms, subjects show various deficits in executive functions, response inhibition (Boonstra et al, 2005; Willcutt et al, 2005), and motivational functions (Metin et al, 2012, 2014). Atypical right hemisphere structure may affect attentional processing and response inhibition (Stefanatos and Wasserstein, 2001; Hart et al, 2013). It may produce an increased rightward asymmetry for EEG alpha and beta waves (Swartwood et al, 2003; Hale et al, 2010; Jaworska et al, 2013)
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