Clinical Neurophysiology
Volume 120, Issue 1 , Pages 60-72, January 2009

ERP correlates of selective attention and working memory capacities in children with ADHD and/or PDD-NOS

  • H. Karin Gomarus

      Affiliations

    • Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +31 50 3681253; fax: +31 50 3681120.
    • ,
  • Albertus A. Wijers

      Affiliations

    • Department of Experimental and Work, Psychology, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
    • ,
  • Ruud B. Minderaa

      Affiliations

    • Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands
    • ,
  • Monika Althaus

      Affiliations

    • Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands

Accepted 6 October 2008.

Abstract 

Objective

We examined whether children (8–11 years) diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) showing primarily hyperactive behavior, differed in selective attention and working memory (WM) abilities.

Methods

Healthy controls and children with ADHD, PDD-NOS or symptoms of both disorders (PDD/HD) (n=15 in each group) carried out a visual selective memory search task while their EEG was recorded from which event-related potentials were derived.

Results

Compared to the control group, all patient groups made more omissions while hyperactive children also exhibited more false alarms. Regarding the process of WM-controlled search, significant group differences in ERP data were found between the control group and each of the clinical groups.

Conclusions

The results point to less efficient WM-functioning in all patient groups. Whereas the clinical groups differed from each other at the behavioral level as measured by questionnaires, no distinction between the clinical groups could be made with respect to performance or ERP measures of WM capacity and selective attention.

Significance

The results suggest that a possible differentiation in selectivity and working memory capacities between PDD-NOS and ADHD is hard to find. This may agree with clinical practice, where differential diagnosis is a subject of discussion.

Keywords: Selective attention, Working memory, Children, ERP, PDD-NOS, ADHD

 

PII: S1388-2457(08)01025-0

doi:10.1016/j.clinph.2008.10.018

Clinical Neurophysiology
Volume 120, Issue 1 , Pages 60-72, January 2009

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