Working memory in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder is characterized by a lack of specialization of brain function

Working memory impairments are frequent in Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and create problems along numerous functional dimensions. The present study utilized the Visual Serial Addition Task (VSAT) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to explore working memory processes...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2011-11, Vol.6 (11), p.e27240-e27240
Main Authors: Fassbender, Catherine, Schweitzer, Julie B, Cortes, Carlos R, Tagamets, Malle A, Windsor, T Andrew, Reeves, Gloria M, Gullapalli, Rao
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Activation
Active control
Adolescent
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - physiopathology
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Basal ganglia
Behavioral sciences
Biology
Brain
Brain - physiopathology
Brain Mapping
Brain research
Case-Control Studies
Child
Child & adolescent psychiatry
Child Behavior
Children
Children & youth
Cortex (frontal)
Cortex (parietal)
Female
Frontal gyrus
Functional magnetic resonance imaging
Ganglia
Human error
Humans
Hyperactivity
Image processing
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
Magnetic resonance
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Medical imaging
Medicine
Memory
Memory, Short-Term - physiology
Mental task performance
Neuroimaging
Neuropsychological Tests
NMR
Nuclear magnetic resonance
Pediatrics
Prefrontal cortex
Reaction Time
Short term memory
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Specialization
Studies
Variance analysis
Visual cortex
Visual tasks
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Working memory impairments are frequent in Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and create problems along numerous functional dimensions. The present study utilized the Visual Serial Addition Task (VSAT) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to explore working memory processes in thirteen typically developing (TD) control and thirteen children with ADHD, Combined type. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to examine both main effects and interactions. Working memory-specific activity was found in TD children in the bilateral prefrontal cortex. In contrast the within-group map in ADHD did not reveal any working-memory specific regions. Main effects of condition suggested that the right middle frontal gyrus (BA6) and the right precuneus were engaged by both groups during working memory processing. Group differences were driven by significantly greater, non-working memory-specific, activation in the ADHD relative to TD group in the bilateral insula extending into basal ganglia and the medial prefrontal cortex. A region of interest analysis revealed a region in left middle frontal gyrus that was more active during working memory in TD controls. Thus, only the TD group appeared to display working memory-modulated brain activation. In conclusion, children with ADHD demonstrated reduced working memory task specific brain activation in comparison to their peers. These data suggest inefficiency in functional recruitment by individuals with ADHD represented by a poor match between task demands and appropriate levels of brain activity.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0027240