Interference control and inhibition in adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a frequent psychological disorder in adults with a prevalence rate of approx. 4.4%, is often a chronic condition associated with severe impairments in social outcome. Identifying neurocognitive deficits is relevant for the pathogenesis of ADHD. Two competing models of ADHD guide neuroscognitive research: According to Barkley (1997) ADHD symptoms are a secondary manifestation of behavioral inhibition which comprises aspects of deficient interference control and motor inhibition, whereas Nigg et al. (2005) conceptualize ADHD as a consequence of impaired motor inhibition. For the first time both aspects - interference control and motor inhibition - are investigated in a combined paradigm. In addition, recent contradictory findings might reflect effects of task load: paradigms, which reveal strong interference or inhibition effects in healthy controls, might lead to floor effects. Hence, variation of task load is implemented in the present study. Event related potentials (error-related negativity and error-related positivity) are used to decompose deficient processes of interference and inhibition. Identifying specific neuropsychological deficits, which correlate with electrophysiological parameters, might guide future research as potential endophenotypes of ADHD.