Ereignisbezogene Hirnpotentiale bei statischen und bewegten visuellen Reizen. Ein Vergleich von Jungen mit Aufmerksamkeitsdefizit- Hyperaktivitätsstörung und deren gesunden Altersgenossen.

Abstract

The research concerning attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), involving inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity, increased in the last years. While solving tasks which require cognitive control processes, the responses of children suffering from ADHD are slower, more variable and more error prone. In previous studies children suffering from ADHD showed a lower N200 amplitude enhancement after incongruent stimuli. Based on the classic flanker-task we wanted to find out to what extend dynamic stimuli, which attract the automatic attention concerning these cognitive control processes in children with ADHD, is processed different than static stimuli. We examined 16 boys with ADHD and 26 healthy controls with a Falnker-Tast which involves static (Flanker-Arrow-Task) and dynamic (Flanker-Motion-Task) stimuli. Dependent parameters where behavioural parameters (reaction time, reaction time-variability, error rate) and the EEG-parameter N200 an electrophysiological parameter for cognitive control processes. The results show that children suffering from ADHD solve their tasks slower, more variable and more error prone; similarly the N200 enhancement was reduced in the processing of incongruent stimuli compared to the control group. Even though the processing in dynamic compared to static stimuli was impaired in the children we examined, the ADHD effects were comparably. In summery one could say that dynamic stimuli compared to static stimuli were not processed more efficient. Children suffering from ADHD have generally more problems solving tasks, which require cognitive control process. That is why one could assume that cognitive control is a central deficit in ADHD, which can be expected in different stimuli modalities. The results show that children suffering from ADHD solve their tasks slower, more variable and more error prone; similarly the N200 enhancement was reduced in the processing of incongruent stimuli compared to the control group. Even though the processing in dynamic compared to static stimuli was impaired in the children we examined, the ADHD effects were comparably. In summery one could say that dynamic stimuli compared to static stimuli were not processed more efficient. Children suffering from ADHD have generally more problems solving tasks, which require cognitive control process. That is why one could assume that cognitive control is a central deficit in ADHD, which can be expected in different stimuli modalities.