Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-xbtfd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-15T17:54:09.615Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Adults with adhd symptoms express a better inhibitory capacity when the perceptual load is higher

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2021

L.R. Carreiro ,
W. Machado-Pinheiro  and
A. Afonso Junior
L.R. Carreiro
Affiliation:
Developmental Disorders Graduate Program, Mackenzie Presbyterian University, São Paulo, Brazil
W. Machado-Pinheiro
Affiliation:
Departamento De Ciências Da Natureza, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Rio das Ostras, Brazil
A. Afonso Junior*
Affiliation:
Developmental Disorders Graduate Program, Mackenzie Presbyterian University, São Paulo, Brazil
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.
Introduction

ADHD is associated with impairments in different inhibitory functions, including suppression of an already initiated response and inhibition of distracting information. This work used a protocol that combines the Stroop-matched and stop-signal tasks to examine the association between the frequency of ADHD symptoms and different inhibitory abilities in a young adult.

Objectives

To investigate how the symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity / impulsivity are associated with three forms of inhibition evaluated by the Stroop-matched / stop-signal task: inhibiting an automatic response, controlling interference and canceling a response.

Methods

38 participants (33 women; mean age = 23.3; SD = 5.17) completed Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) assessing ADHD symptoms before performing the task. Reaction times, accuracy and stop-signal reaction time (SSRT; the latency of the inhibitory process of response cancellation) were calculated for each task condition.

Results

There was a significant correlation of ADHD symptoms and SSRT in the condition with the higher perceptual load (i.e., a greater number of colors presented in the same test). This correlation was negative (r = - .36, p <.05), which indicates that participants with higher ADHD symptoms frequency had more efficient inhibitory processes in this condition.

Conclusions

(1) the perceptual load of the task influences the cancellation of responses; (2) individuals with higher frequency of ADHD symptoms may have a better inhibitory capacity when the perceptual load is high, possibly reflecting a lower availability of attentional resources to process distracting information.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Keywords

Stop-signal reaction timeADHDInhibitory process
Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 64 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 29th European Congress of Psychiatry , April 2021 , pp. S613
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.