Mechanisms of cognitive disinhibition explain individual differences in adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder traits

Jeggan Tiego; Antonio Verdejo-Garcia; Alexandra Anderson; Julia Koutoulogenis; Mark A Bellgrove

doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2023.06.013

Mechanisms of cognitive disinhibition explain individual differences in adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder traits

Cortex. 2023 Oct:167:178-196. doi: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.06.013. Epub 2023 Jul 21.

Authors

Jeggan Tiego¹, Antonio Verdejo-Garcia², Alexandra Anderson³, Julia Koutoulogenis⁴, Mark A Bellgrove⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Psychological Sciences and Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Level 5, 18 Innovation Walk, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia 3800. Electronic address: jeggan.tiego@monash.edu.
² School of Psychological Sciences and Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Level 5, 18 Innovation Walk, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia 3800. Electronic address: antonio.verdejo@monash.edu.
³ School of Psychological Sciences and Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Level 5, 18 Innovation Walk, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia 3800. Electronic address: alexandra.anderson@monash.edu.
⁴ School of Psychological Sciences and Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Level 5, 18 Innovation Walk, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia 3800. Electronic address: julia.koutoulogenis@monash.edu.
⁵ School of Psychological Sciences and Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Level 5, 18 Innovation Walk, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia 3800. Electronic address: mark.bellgrove@monash.edu.

PMID: 37567053
DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.06.013

Abstract

Background: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults is strongly associated with psychiatric comorbidity and functional impairment. Here, we aimed to use a newly developed online cognitive battery with strong psychometric properties for measuring individual differences in three cognitive mechanisms proposed to underlie ADHD traits in adults: 1) attentional control - the ability to mobilize cognitive resources to stop a prepotent motor response; 2) information sampling/gathering - adequate sampling of information in a stimulus detection task prior to making a decision; and 3) shifting - the ability to adapt behavior in response to positive and negative contingencies.

Methods: This cross-sectional and correlational study recruited 650 adults (330 males) aged 18-69 years (M = 33.06; MD = 31.00; SD = 10.50), with previously diagnosed ADHD (n = 329) and those from the general community without a history of ADHD (n = 321). Self-report measures of ADHD traits (i.e., inattention/disorganization, impulsivity, hyperactivity) and the cognitive battery were completed online.

Results: Latent class analysis, exploratory structural equation modeling and factor mixture modeling revealed self-reported ADHD traits formed a unidimensional and approximately normally distributed phenotype. Bayesian structural equation modeling demonstrated that all three mechanisms measured by the cognitive battery, explained unique, incremental variance in ADHD traits, with a total of 15.9% explained in the ADHD trait factor.

Conclusions: Attentional control and shifting, as well as the less researched cognitive process of information gathering, explain individual difference variance in self-reported ADHD traits with potential to yield genetic and neurobiological insights into adult ADHD.

Keywords: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; Attentional control; Bayesian; Information sampling; Shifting.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity*
Bayes Theorem
Cognition
Cross-Sectional Studies
Humans
Impulsive Behavior
Individuality*
Male
Phenotype