Quality of life, functional impairment and continuous performance task event-related potentials (ERPs) in young adults with ADHD and autism: A twin study

Ümit Aydin; Simone J Capp; Charlotte Tye; Emma Colvert; Alex Lau-Zhu; Frühling Rijsdijk; Jason Palmer; Gráinne McLoughlin

doi:10.1002/jcv2.12090

Quality of life, functional impairment and continuous performance task event-related potentials (ERPs) in young adults with ADHD and autism: A twin study

JCPP Adv. 2022 Jul 10;2(3):e12090. doi: 10.1002/jcv2.12090. eCollection 2022 Sep.

Authors

Ümit Aydin¹, Simone J Capp¹, Charlotte Tye^{2

3}, Emma Colvert¹, Alex Lau-Zhu^{1

4}, Frühling Rijsdijk^{1

5}, Jason Palmer⁶, Gráinne McLoughlin¹

Affiliations

¹ Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience King's College London London UK.
² Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience King's College London London UK.
³ Department of Psychology Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience King's College London London UK.
⁴ Oxford Institute for Clinical Psychology Training and Research Medical Sciences Division University of Oxford Oxford UK.
⁵ Psychology Department Faculty of Social Sciences Anton de Kom University Paramaribo Suriname.
⁶ Endowed Research Department of Clinical Neuroengineering Global Center for Medical Engineering and Informatics Osaka University Suita Japan.

Abstract

Background: Young adulthood is a key developmental period for understanding outcomes of childhood onset attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism. Measurement of functional impairment and quality of life (QoL) can provide important information on the real-life challenges associated with these conditions. Event-related potential (ERP) measures from the continuous performance task (CPT) have long been identified as altered in ADHD and autism but the role of these functions in the aetiological pathway to the disorders and associated impact on quality of life in young adulthood is unknown.

Method: We investigated the relationships between ADHD and autism, functional impairment, quality of life, and ERP measures from the cued CPT (CPT-OX) in a young adult twin sample (566 participants aged 22.43 ± 0.96 years old).

Results: We observed significant phenotypic correlations between ADHD/autism and lower quality of life with specific genetic overlap between ADHD and physical health, psychological, and environmental aspects. We found significant phenotypic and genetic correlations between ADHD and functional impairment in all domains, as well as between autism and impairment in social functioning and lower impairment in risk-taking. Both ADHD and autism were associated with attenuated amplitude of inhibitory and proactive control ERPs, with large genetic contributions to the overlap. We also found significant phenotypic correlations between these ERP measures and Weiss Functional Impairment Rating Scale (WFIRS) and QoL.

Conclusion: This is the first study to investigate the phenotypic and genetic relationships between ADHD and autism, functional impairment, quality of life and ERP measures in young adulthood. Our findings could represent a step towards identifying ERP measures that are related to behaviour in the absence of overt symptoms.

Keywords: ADHD; autism; event‐related potentials; functional impairment; quality of life; twin study; young adults.