Abstract
We recently reported increased mind wandering (MW) frequency in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) relative to controls during high demands on sustained attention, reflecting deficient context regulation of MW. Studies on community samples previously linked context regulation of MW with attenuation in brain sensory processes, reflecting perceptual decoupling, and attentional processes during MW compared to task focus. However, the association between deficient context regulation of MW and these neural processes has not been studied in ADHD. We addressed this question by comparing adults with ADHD (N = 23) and controls (N = 25) on event-related potentials of early sensory processes (P1) and attention allocation (P3) during tasks manipulating cognitive demands (high vs low) on working memory and sustained attention, and during periods of MW and task focus measured through experience-sampling. Compared to controls, adults with ADHD showed reduced P1 during high sustained attention demands, as well as reduced P3 during high working memory demands. These group differences were no longer significant after adding MW frequency as a covariate. Across tasks, adults with ADHD showed no differences from controls on the P1 during MW episodes, but attenuated P1 during task focus. P3 was reduced in adults with ADHD compared to controls during MW, but not during task focus during the sustained attention task. These findings converge to indicate that impairments in early sensory processing in individuals with ADHD seem parallel to increased MW frequency and might reflect inefficient adjustments from periods of MW to task focus.
Highlights
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neuro developmental disorder affecting 5–7% of children (Polanczyk et al, 2014) and 2–3% of adults worldwide (Fayyad et al, 2017)
This study aimed to address this gap in the literature by investigating the association between context regulation of mind wan dering (MW) and eventrelated potentials (ERPs) of early sensory processing (P1) and attention allocation (P3) in adults with and without ADHD through two complementary analyses
This study provides converging evidence that higher MW fre quency and inefficient adjustment from MW episodes to task focus may contribute to deficient neural activity of sensory processing in in dividuals with ADHD compared to controls
Summary
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neuro developmental disorder affecting 5–7% of children (Polanczyk et al, 2014) and 2–3% of adults worldwide (Fayyad et al, 2017). Experience-sampling for periods of MW and self-report MW scales in adults (Seli et al, 2015; Franklin et al, 2017; Mowlem et al, 2016; 2019;; Biederman et al, 2019) and children with ADHD (Van den Driessche et al, 2017; Frick et al, 2020) further show that MW is increased in ADHD across the lifespan Based on these observations, we developed a new MW perspective on ADHD which proposed that MW is a core process in ADHD and that deficient regulation of neural activity underlying MW might explain the inattentive symptoms and cognitive performance deficits seen in ADHD (Bozhilova et al, 2018). Studies on college students and community samples have shown context regulation of both MW frequency (Forster and Lavie, 2009; Levinson et al, 2012; McVay and Kane, 2012; Xu and Metcalfe, 2016; Ruby et al, 2013; Smallwood et al, 2007) and neural activity (e.g. reduced activity, or deactivation of the default mode network as task demands increase; Mason et al, 2007)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
