Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gvvz8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T11:14:36.424Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Motor persistence and inhibition in autism and ADHD

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 September 2006

E. MARK MAHONE ,
STEPHANIE K. POWELL ,
CHRISTOPHER W. LOFTIS ,
MELISSA C. GOLDBERG ,
MARTHA B. DENCKLA  and
STEWART H. MOSTOFSKY
E. MARK MAHONE
Affiliation:
Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
STEPHANIE K. POWELL
Affiliation:
Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
CHRISTOPHER W. LOFTIS
Affiliation:
Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
MELISSA C. GOLDBERG
Affiliation:
Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
MARTHA B. DENCKLA
Affiliation:
Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
STEWART H. MOSTOFSKY
Affiliation:
Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The present study compared performance of children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and high functioning autism (HFA) with that of controls on 4 tasks assessing 2 components of motor control: motor response inhibition and motor persistence. A total of 136 children (52 ADHD, 24 HFA, 60 controls) ages 7 to 13 years completed 2 measures of motor inhibition (Conflicting Motor Response and Contralateral Motor Response Tasks) and 2 measures of motor persistence (Lateral Gaze Fixation and NEPSY Statue). After controlling for age, IQ, gender, and basic motor speed, children with ADHD performed significantly more poorly than controls on the Conflicting Motor Response and Contralateral Motor Response Tasks, as well as on Statue. In contrast, children with HFA achieved lower scores than controls only on measures of motor persistence, with no concomitant impairment on either motor inhibition task. These results are consistent with prior research that has demonstrated relatively spared motor inhibition in autism. The findings highlight the utility of brief assessments of motor control in delineating the unique neurobehavioral phenotypes of ADHD and HFA. (JINS, 2006, 12, 622–631.)

Keywords

Neuropsychological testsMotor skillExecutive functionDevelopmental disordersChildDevelopment
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 12 , Issue 5 , September 2006 , pp. 622 - 631
Copyright
© 2006 The International Neuropsychological Society

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Acosta, M.T. & Pearl, P.L. (2004). Imaging data in autism: From structure to malfunction. Seminars in Pediatric Neurology, 11, 205–213.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ashtari, M., Kumra, S., Bhaskar, S.L., Clarke, T., Thaden, E., Cervellione, K.L., Rhinewine, J., Kane, J.M., Adesman, A., Milanaik, R., Maytal, J., Diamond, A., Szeszko, P., & Ardekani, B.A. (2005). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A preliminary diffusion tensor imaging study. Biological Psychiatry, 57, 448–455.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barkley, R.A. (1997). Behavioral inhibition, sustained attention, and executive functions: Constructing a unifying theory of ADHD. Psychological Bulletin, 121, 65–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barkley, R.A. (2000). Genetics of childhood disorders: XVII. ADHD, Part 1: The executive functions and ADHD. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 39, 1064–1068.Google Scholar
Barkley, R.A., Grodzinsky, G., & DuPaul, G.J. (1992). Frontal lobe functions in attention deficit disorder with and without hyperactivity: A review and research report. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 20, 163–188.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berlin, L., Bohlin, G., Nyberg, L., & Janols, L. (2004). How well do measures of inhibition and other executive functions discriminate between children with ADHD and controls? Child Neuropsychology, 10, 1–13.Google Scholar
Bradshaw, J.L. & Sheppard, D.M. (2000). The neurodevelopmental frontostriatal disorders: Evolutionary adaptiveness and anomalous lateralization. Brain and Language, 73, 297–320.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carte, E.T., Nigg, J.T., & Hinshew, S.P. (1996). Neuropsychological functioning, motor speed, and language processing in boys with and without ADHD. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 24, 481–498.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Castellanos, F.X. & Acosta, M.T. (2004). The neuroanatomy of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Revisita de Neurologia, 38 (Suppl. 1), S131–S136.Google Scholar
Castellanos, F.X., Sonuga-Barke, E.J.S., Milham, M.P., & Tannock, R. (2006). Characterizing cognition in ADHD: Beyond executive dysfunction. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 10, 117–123.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Conners, C.K. (1997). Conners' Rating Scales–Revised. North Tonawanda, NY: Multi-Health Systems.
Christensen, A.L. (1975). Luria's neuropsychological investigation. New York: Spectrum.
Courchesne, E. & Pierce, K. (2005). Brain overgrowth in autism during a critical time in development: Implications for frontal pyramidal neuron and interneuron development and connectivity. International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience, 23, 153–170.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Denckla, M.B. (1996). Biological correlates of learning and attention: What is relevant to learning disability and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder? Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 17, 114–119.Google Scholar
Denckla, M.B. (1985). Revised neurological examination for subtle signs. Psychopharmacology Bulletin, 21, 773–800.Google Scholar
Denckla, M.B. & Rudel, R.G. (1978). Anomalies of motor development in hyperactive boys. Annals of Neurology, 3, 231–233.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Devinsky, O. (2000). Right cerebral hemisphere dominance for a sense of corporeal and emotional self. Epilepsy and Behavior, 1, 60–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Diamond, A. (2000). Close interrelation of motor development and cognitive development and of the cerebellum and prefrontal cortex. Child Development, 71, 44–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DuPaul, G.J., Power, T.J., Anastopoulos, A.D., & Reid, R. (1998). ADHD Rating Scale-IV. New York: Guilford.
Feifel, D., Farber, R.H., Clementz, B.A., Perry, W., & Anllo-Vento, L. (2004). Inhibitory deficits in ocular motor behavior in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Biological Psychiatry, 56, 333–339.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fisher, M. (1956). Left hemiplegia and motor impersistence. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 123, 201–218.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fuster, J.M. (1997). The prefrontal cortex: Anatomy, physiology, and neuropsychology of the frontal lobe. New York: Lippincott-Raven.
Goldberg, M.C., Lasker, A.G., Zee, D.S., Garth, E., Tien, A., & Landa, R. (2002). Deficits in the initiation of eye movements in the absence of a visual target in adolescents with high functioning autism. Neuropsychologia, 1426, 1–11.Google Scholar
Griffith, E.M., Pennington, B.F., Wehner, E.A., & Rogers, S.J. (1999). Executive functions in young children with autism. Child Development, 70, 817–832.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harris, E.L., Schuerholz, L.J., Singer, H.S., Reader, M.J., Brown, J.E., Cox, C., Mohr, J., Chase, G.A., & Denckla, M.B. (1995). Executive function in children with Tourette syndrome and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 1, 511–516.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heilman, K.M., Watson, R.T., & Valenstein, E. (1993). Neglect and related disorders. In K.M. Heilman & E. Valenstein (Eds.), Clinical Neuropsychology (3rd ed.) (pp. 279–236). New York: Oxford University Press.
Hughes, C. & Russell, J., (1993). Autistic children's difficulty with mental disengagement from an object: Its implication for theories of autism. Developmental Psychology, 29, 498–510.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hughes, C., Russell, J., & Robbins, T.W. (1994). Evidence for executive dysfunction in autism. Neuropsychologia, 32, 477–492.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kadesjo, B. & Gillberg, C. (1998). Attention deficits and clumsiness in Swedish 7-year-old children. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 40, 796–804.Google Scholar
Kaplan, B.J., Wilson, B.N., Dewey, D., & Crawford, S.G. (1998). DCD may not be a discrete disorder. Human Movement Science, 17, 471–490.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kertesz, A., Nicholson, I., Cancelliere, A., Kassa, K., & Black, S.E. (1985). Motor impersistence: A right-hemisphere syndrome. Neurology, 35, 662–666.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kleinhans, N., Akshoomoff, N., & Delis, D.C. (2005). Executive functions in autism and Asperger's disorder: Flexibility, fluency, and inhibition. Developmental Neuropsychology, 27, 379–401.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Klin, A., Jones, W., Schultz, R., Volkmar, F., & Cohen, D. (2002a). Visual fixation patterns during viewing of naturalistic social situations as predictors of social competence in individuals with autism. Archives of General Psychiatry, 59, 809–816.Google Scholar
Klin, A., Jones, W., Schultz, R., Volkmar, F., & Cohen, D. (2002b). Defining and quantifying the social phenotype in autism. American Journal of Psychiatry, 159, 895–908.Google Scholar
Korkman, M., Kirk, U., & Kemp, S. (1998). NEPSY: A developmental neuropsychological assessment. San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.
Lord, C., Risi, S., Lambrecht, L., Cook, E.H., Jr., Levanthal, B.L., DiLavore, P.C., Pickles, A., & Rutter, M. (2000). The autism diagnostic observation schedule-generic: A standard measure of social and communication deficits associated with the spectrum of autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 30, 205–223.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lord, C., Rutter, M., Goode, S., Heemsbergen, J., Jordan, H., Mawhood, L., & Schopler, E. (1989). Autism diagnostic observation schedule: A standardized observation of communicative and social behavior. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 19, 185–212.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lord, C., Rutter, M., & LeCouteur, A. (1994). Autism Diagnostic Interview Revised: A revised version of a diagnostic interview for caregivers of individuals with possible pervasive developmental disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 24, 659–685.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McAlonan, G.M., Cheung, V., Cheung, C., Suckling, J., Lam, G.Y., Tai, K.S., Yip, L., Murphy, D.G., & Chua, S.E. (2005). Mapping the brain in autism. A voxel-based MRI study of volumetric differences and intercorrelations in autism. Brain, 128, 268–276.Google Scholar
McPhillips, M. & Sheehy, N. (2004). Prevalence of persistent primary reflexes and motor problems in children with reading difficulties. Dyslexia, 10, 316–338.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Minshew, N.J., Luna, B., & Sweeney, J. (1999). Oculomotor evidence for neocortical systems but not cerebellar dysfunction in autism. Neurology, 52, 917–922.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mostofsky, S.H., Cooper, K.L., Kates, W.R., Denckla, M.B., & Kaufmann, W.E. (2002). Smaller prefrontal and premotor volumes in boys with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Biological Psychiatry, 52, 785–794.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mostofsky, S.H., Lasker, A.G., Cutting, L., Denckla, M.B., & Zee, D.S. (2001a). Oculomotor abnormalities in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A preliminary study. Neurology, 57, 423–430.Google Scholar
Mostofsky, S.H., Lasker, A.G., Singer, H.S., Denckla, M.B., & Zee, D.S. (2001b). Oculomotor abnormalities in children with Tourette syndrome with and without ADHD. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 40, 1464–1472.Google Scholar
Mostofsky, S.H., Newschaffer, C.J., & Denckla, M.B. (2003). Overflow movements predict impaired response inhibition in children with ADHD. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 97, 1315–1331.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mostofsky, S.H., Russell, E., Kofman, O., Carr, J., & Denckla, M.B. (2001c). Deficits in motor response inhibition and motor persistence in ADHD [abstract]. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 7, 208.Google Scholar
Ozonoff, S. & Jensen, J. (1999). Brief report: Specific executive function profiles in three neurodevelopmental disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 29, 171–177.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ozonoff, S. & Strayer, D.L. (1997). Inhibitory function in nonretarded children with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 27, 59–77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ozonoff, S., Strayer, D.L., McMahon, W.M., & Fillous, F. (1994). Executive function abilities in autism and Tourette syndrome: An information processing approach. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 35, 1015–1032.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Palmen, S.J., Hulsoff Pol, H.E., Kemner, C., Schnack, H.G., Durston, S., Lahuis, B.E., Kahn, R.S., & Van Engeland, H. (2005). Increased gray-matter volume in medication-naive high-functioning children with autism spectrum disorder. Psychological Medicine, 35, 561–570.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pennington, B.F. (1997). Dimensions of executive function in normal and abnormal development. In N.A. Krasnegor, G.R. Lyon, & P.S. Goldman-Rakic (Eds.), Development of the prefrontal cortex: Evolution, neurobiology, and behavior (pp. 265–281). Baltimore, MD: Brookes.
Pennington, B.F. & Ozonoff, S. (1996). Executive functions and developmental psychopathology. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 37, 51–87.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pitcher, T.M., Piek, J.P., & Hay, D.A. (2003). Fine and gross motor ability in boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 45, 525–535.Google Scholar
Quay, H.C. (1997). Inhibition and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 25, 7–13.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reich, W., Welner, Z., & Herjanic, B. (1997). The Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents-IV. North Tonawanda, NY: Multi-Health Systems.
Ross, R.G., Harris, J.G., Olincy, A., & Radant, A. (2000). Eye movement task measures inhibition and spatial working memory in adults with schizophrenia, ADHD, and a normal comparison group. Psychiatry Research, 35, 35–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roth, R.M. & Saykin, A.J. (2004). Executive dysfunction in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: Cognitive and neuroimaging findings. Psychiatry Clinics of North America, 27, 83–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rubia, K., Oosterlaan, J., Sergeant, J.A., Brandeis, D., & Van Leeuwen, T. (1998). Inhibitory dysfunction in hyperactive boys. Behavioral Brain Research, 94, 25–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rubia, K., Russell, T., Overmeyer, S., Brammer, M.J., Bullmore, E.T., Sharma, T., Simmons, A., Williams, S.C.R., Giampietro, V., Andrew, C.M., & Taylor, E. (2001). Mapping motor inhibition: Conjunctive brain activations across different versions of go/no-go and stop tests. NeuroImage, 13, 250–261.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Russell, J., Hala, S., & Hill, E.L. (2003). Mechanising an executive task: The performance of preschool children, children with autism and with moderate learning difficulties in the automated Windows Task. Cognitive Development, 18, 111–137.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Russell, J., Jarold, C., & Hood, B. (1999). Two intact executive capacities in children with autism: Implications for the core executive dysfunctions in the disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 29, 103–112.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Russell, J., Mauther, N., Sharpe, S., & Tidwell, T. (1991). The “Windows task” as a measure of strategic deception in preschoolers and autistic subjects. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 9, 101–119.Google Scholar
Schachar, R., Mota, V.L., Logan, G.D., Tannock, R., & Klim, P. (2000). Confirmation of an inhibitory control deficit in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 28, 227–235.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schachar, R., Tannock, R., Mariott, M., & Logan, G. (1995). Deficient inhibitory control in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 23, 411–347.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Seidman, L.J., Valera, E.M., & Makris, N. (2005). Structural brain imaging of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Biological Psychiatry, 57, 1263–1272.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shapira, Y.A., Jones, M.H., & Sherman, S.P. (1980). Abnormal eye movements in hyperkinetic children with learning disability. Neuropadiatrie, 11, 36–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shue, K.L. & Douglas, V.I. (1992). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and the frontal lobe syndrome. Brain and Cognition, 20, 104–124.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Steger, J., Imhof, K., Coutts, E., Gundelfinger, R., Steinhausen, H.C., & Brandeis, D. (2001). Attentional and neuromotor deficits in ADHD. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 43, 172–179.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tantillo, M., Kesick, C.M., Hynd, G.W., & Dishman, R.K. (2002). The effects of exercise on children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 34, 203–212.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Takarae, Y., Minshew, N.J., Luna, B., Krisky, C.M., & Sweeney, J.A. (2004a). Pursuit eye movement deficits in autism. Brain, 127, 2584–2594.Google Scholar
Takarae, Y., Minshew, N.J., Luna, B., & Sweeney, J.A. (2004b). Oculomotor abnormalities parallel cerebellar histopathy in autism. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, 75, 1359–1361.Google Scholar
Trommer, B.L., Hoeppner, J.B., Lorber, R., & Armstrong, K. (1988). The go-no-go paradigm in attention deficit disorder. Annals of Neurology, 24, 610–614.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vaidya, C.J., Bunge, S.A., Dudukovic, N.M., Zalecki, C.A., Elliott, G.R., & Gabrieli, J.D. (2005). Altered neural substrates of cognitive control in childhood ADHD: Evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging. American Journal of Psychiatry, 162, 1605–1613.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Verfaellie, M. & Heilman, K.M. (1987). Response preparation and response inhibition after lesions of the medial frontal lobe. Archives of Neurology, 44, 1265–1271.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Voeller, K.S. & Heilman, K.M. (1988). Motor impersistence in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: Evidence for right hemisphere dysfunction [abstract]. Annals of Neurology, 24, 323.Google Scholar
Watson, R.T., Miller, B.D., & Heilman, K.M. (1978). Nonsensory neglect. Annals of Neurology, 3, 505–508.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wechsler, D. (1991). Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Third Edition (WISC-III). San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.
Wechsler, D. (1992). Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT). San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.
Wodka, E.L., Mahone, E.M., Blankner, J.G., Gidley Larson, J.C., Fotedar, S., Denckla, M.B., & Mostofsky, S.H., (in press). Evidence that response inhibition is a primary deficit in ADHD. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology.