Abstract
ObjectiveThe current model of ADHD suggests abnormal reward and punishment sensitivity, although differences in ADHD subgroups are unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effect of feedback valence (reward or punishment) and punishment magnitude (small or large) on Feedback-Related Negativity (FRN) and Late Positive Potential (LPP) in two subtypes of ADHD (ADHD-C and ADHD-I) compared to typically developing children (TD) during a children's gambling task.MethodsChildren with ADHD-C (n = 16), children with ADHD-I (n = 15) and typically developing children (n = 15) performed a children's gambling task under three feedback conditions: large losses, small losses and gains. FRN and LPP components in brain potentials were recorded and analyzed.ResultsIn TD children and children with ADHD-C, large loss feedback evoked more negative FRN amplitudes than small loss feedback, suggesting that brain sensitivity to the punishment and its magnitude is not impaired in children with ADHD-C. In contrast to these two groups, the FRN effect was absent in children with ADHD-I. The LPP amplitudes were larger in children with ADHD-C in comparison with those with ADHD-I, regardless of feedback valence and magnitude.ConclusionChildren with ADHD-C exhibit intact brain sensitivity to punishment similar to TD children. In contrast, children with ADHD-I are significantly impaired in neural sensitivity to the feedback stimuli and in particular, to punishment, compared to TD and ADHD-C children. Thus, FRN, rather than LPP, is a reliable index of the difference in reward and punishment sensitivity across different ADHD-subcategories.
Highlights
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which is the most prevalent childhood neuropsychiatric disorder, is defined in the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) as developmentally inappropriate and impairing symptoms of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity [1]
According to the DSMIV, ADHD has three subtypes: predominantly inattentive type (ADHD-I), which accounts for 45% of all ADHD patients; predominantly hyperactive-impulsive (ADHD-H), which affects 21% of all patients; and combined-type (ADHD-C), which occurs in 34% of all patients [1,5]
The 36263 ANOVA revealed a significant effect of feedback type by group interaction effect during 250–350 ms [F(4, 86) = 2.49, P = 0.049]
Summary
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which is the most prevalent childhood neuropsychiatric disorder, is defined in the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) as developmentally inappropriate and impairing symptoms of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity [1]. Recent studies imply that ADHD is associated with an aberrant sensitivity to reinforcement [6,7,8,9,10,11], such as reward and punishment. Behavioral studies have demonstrated that children with ADHD show an abnormal sensitivity to motivational cues. They have problems in maintaining optimal performance when they have to rely solely on their intrinsic motivation, i.e. without external motivators such as feedback or reward [16,17]. Several event-related potential studies investigated how reward and punishment influences the monitoring of performance feedback in children with ADHD. Several event-related potential studies investigated how reward and punishment influences the monitoring of performance feedback in children with ADHD. van
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