The role of attention on the intelligence test scores of patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

In comparison to healthy children, cases with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) score lower at subtests of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R). According to the research hypothesis, the lower scores in subtests of WISC-R originate from disordered attentional processes. Sample (age range: 72-149 months) included 143 healthy boys and 215 boys in the ADHD group (Predominantly Attention Deficit: n = 72, Predominantly Hyperactivity/Impulsivity: n = 41, Combined: n = 102). Participation was conditional to informed consent of the parents and approval of the participants/cases. Cases with comorbidity and medication were not included in the DEHB group. Intelligence was measured using WISC-R, types of attention were measured using Stroop Test TBAG version, Cancellation Test and Visual Aural Digit Span Test-B Form. In line with the types of attention that they represent, neuropsychological test scores loaded on three different factors. Except the digit span score, WISC-R scores loaded on a fourth factor. Scores of the DEHB group was significantly lower than that of the healthy control group in 9 out of 12 WISC-R scores. When types of attention were statistically controlled, 7 of the previously significantly different scores ceased to exist. These findings show that the lower scores of the DEBB group in subtests of WISC-R should not be explained by deficits in the cognitive processes that the subtests specifically intend to measure. These findings support the hypothesis that the lower scores are due to a basic inability to attend and are thus secondary to this disorder

Using neuropsychometric measurements in the differential diagnosis of specific learning disability

Introduction: The aim of this study was to develop a neuropsychometric battery for the differential diagnosis of specific learning disability (SLD), with specific respect to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and to help resolve the conflicting results in the literature by an integrative utilization of scores on both the Bannatyne categories and neuropsychological tests. Methods: The sample included 168 primary school boys who were assigned to SLD (n=21), ADHD (n=45), SLD and ADHD (n=57), and control groups (n=45). The exclusion criteria were a neurological or psychiatric comorbidity other than ADHD, a level of anxiety and/or depression above the cutoff score, medication affecting cognitive processes, visual and/or auditory disorders, and an intelligence level outside the IQ range of 85–129. Psychometric scores were obtained from the SLD Battery and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised in the form of Bannatyne category scores. Neuropsychological scores were from the Visual–Aural Digit Span Test-Form B, Serial Digit Learning Test, Judgment of Line Orientation, and Mangina Test. The battery was called the Integrative Battery of SLD. Results: The correctness of estimation for classifying cases into the diagnostic dyads (SLD/ADHD, SLD/SLD+ADHD, and SLD+ADHD/ADHD) by an integrative utilization of both the Bannatyne category scores (n=4) and scores from the four neuropsychological tests (n=10) was 92.4%, 81.4%, and 71.8%, respectively. These proportions were generally higher than those obtained using the Bannatyne category scores alone (86.4%, 75.5%, and 73.1%, respectively). The same trend was seen in the classification of children into diagnostic and control groups. However, the proportion of the correctness of estimation was higher than that obtained for the diagnostic dyads. Conclusion: When conducted using appropriately chosen research designs and statistical techniques and if confounding variables are sufficiently controlled, a neuropsychometric battery that includes capacities that relate to intelligence (Bannatyne categories) and those that relate to neurocognitive processes (neuropsychological tests) can be useful in the differential diagnosis of SLD

Dikkat eksikliği hiperaktivite bozukluğu olgularındaki zeka puanında dikkatin rolü

Dikkat Eksikliği Hiperaktivite Bozukluğu (DEHB) olan olgular Wechsler Çocuklar için Zeka Ölçeği (WÇZÖ-R) alt testlerinde sağlıklı gruba göre daha düşük puanlar almaktadır. Araştırmada DEHB olgularının WÇZÖ-R alt testlerinden aldıkları düşük puanların dikkat sürecindeki bozukluktan kaynaklandığı yolundaki hipotez test edilmektedir. Araştırmaya 72-149 yaş/ay aralığında 143 sağlıklı erkek çocuk, 215 erkek DEHB olgusu (Bileşik tip: 102, Dikkat Eksikliği Önde Alt Tip: 72, Hiperaktivite/Dürtüsellik Önde Alt Tip: 41) gönüllü olarak ve ebeveynin bilgilendirilmiş onayı ile katılmıştır. DEHB grubunda eşhastalanım ve ilaç kullanımı dışlama ölçütü olmuştur. Zeka WÇZÖ-R, dikkat türleri Stroop Testi TBAG Formu, İşaretleme Testi ve Görsel İşitsel Sayı Dizileri Testi B Formu ile ölçülmüştür. Nöropsikolojik test puanları, temsil ettikleri dikkat türleri doğrultusunda üç farklı faktöre yüklenmiş, WÇZÖ-R’nin sayı dizileri puanı dışındakiler bu faktörler altında yer almamıştır. Üç WÇZÖ-R alt test puanı dışındaki tüm zeka puanlarında, DEHB grubunun puanı sağlıklı kontrol grubununkinden anlamlı olarak daha düşük bulunmuştur. Nöropsikolojik dikkat türleri istatistiksel olarak kontrol edildiğinde, daha önce anlamlı olan 9 WÇZÖ-R puanından 7’sindeki anlamlı farklar ortadan kalkmıştır. Bu bulgular DEHB olgularının WÇZÖ-R’ den aldıkları düşük puanların, farklı alt testlerin ölçtüğü bilişsel özelliklerde bozukluk veya zekada düşüklük olarak açıklanamayacağına işaret etmiştir. Bulgular düşük puanların dikkat edememeden kaynaklandığı yolundaki hipotezi desteklemiş, zekaya ilişkin süreçlerdeki düşük performansın dikkat eksikliğine ikincil olduğunu göstermiştir

Using Neuropsychometric Measurements in the Differential Diagnosis of Specific Learning Disability

Introduction: The aim of this study was to develop a neuropsychometric battery for the differential diagnosis of specific learning disability (SLD), with specific respect to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and to help resolve the conflicting results in the literature by an integrative utilization of scores on both the Bannatyne categories and neuropsychological tests. Methods: The sample included 168 primary school boys who were assigned to SLD (n=21), ADHD (n=45), SLD and ADHD (n=57), and control groups (n=45). The exclusion criteria were a neurological or psychiatric comorbidity other than ADHD, a level of anxiety and/ or depression above the cutoff score, medication affecting cognitive processes, visual and/or auditory disorders, and an intelligence level outside the IQ range of 85-129. Psychometric scores were obtained from the SLD Battery and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for ChildrenRevised in the form of Bannatyne category scores. Neuropsychological scores were from the Visual-Aural Digit Span Test-Form B, Serial Digit Learning Test, Judgment of Line Orientation, and Mangina Test. The battery was called the Integrative Battery of SLD. Results: The correctness of estimation for classifying cases into the diagnostic dyads (SLD/ADHD, SLD/SLD+ADHD, and SLD+ADHD/ ADHD) by an integrative utilization of both the Bannatyne category scores (n=4) and scores from the four neuropsychological tests (n=10) was 92.4%, 81.4%, and 71.8%, respectively. These proportions were generally higher than those obtained using the Bannatyne category scores alone (86.4%, 75.5%, and 73.1%, respectively). The same trend was seen in the classification of children into diagnostic and control groups. However, the proportion of the correctness of estimation was higher than that obtained for the diagnostic dyads. Conclusion: When conducted using appropriately chosen research designs and statistical techniques and if confounding variables are sufficiently controlled, a neuropsychometric battery that includes capacities that relate to intelligence (Bannatyne categories) and those that relate to neurocognitive processes (neuropsychological tests) can be useful in the differential diagnosis of SLD

Relationship between diagnosis of adhd in offspring and current and retrospective self-reports of parental adhd

This study aimed to discover the relationship between parental self-reports of ADHD symptoms and the diagnosis of ADHD in offspring, to demonstrate the extent to which parental ADHD symptoms predict ADHD diagnosis in offspring, to examine the contribution of adult ADHD scales to ADHD diagnosis, and to provide findings on the psychometric utility of adult ADHD scales. The sample consisted of 6-12-year-old boys diagnosed with ADHD (n = 149), boys in the control group (n = 47) and both parents (n = 392). Amongst the many exclusion criteria was the comorbidity of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Parental self-reports of current ADHD symptoms were obtained using the Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Scale (ADD/ADHD Scale), and past symptoms were retrospectively obtained using the Wender-Utah Rating Scale (WUR Scale). For children diagnosed with ADHD, the frequency of parents with ADHD symptoms was higher than the parents without ADHD symptoms; the significance was derived from the group in which both parents displayed ADHD symptoms. The ADHD symptom scores of the parents led to a high accuracy level when predicting ADHD in children (sensitivity) but led to a low accuracy level when classifying children without any diagnosis in the control group (specificity). The study disclosed the psychometric strengths and weaknesses of the ADD/ADHD and WUR scales for measuring parental ADHD symptoms and provided original findings on their psychometric properties

Behavioral rating inventory and laboratory tests measure different aspects of executive functioning in boys: A validity study

Davranış derecelendirme envanteri ve laboratuvar testleri erkek çocuklarda yönetici fonksiyonların farklı yönlerini ölçmektedir: Bir geçerlik çalışması Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı yönetici işlevleri (Yİ) ölçme açısından günlük yaşamdaki davranışları değerlendiren ekolojik bir test ile laboratuvar testleri ile arasındaki örtüşmeyi incelemek, ekolojik testin Dikkat Eksikliği Hiperaktivite Bozukluğunun (DEHB) tanısında kullanılabilirliğini incelemektir. Yöntem: Örneklem ilaç almamış ve kliniğe ilk kez başvurmuş olan, sadece DEHB tanısı olan ve alt tiplere göre ayrışmış bulunan (dikkat dağınıklığının önde geldiği grupta 22 çocuk, hiperaktivite/dürtüselliğin önde geldiği grupta 17; birleşik grupta 22 çocuk). Sağlıklı kontrol grubu yaş açısından eşleştirilmiş 19 erkek çocuktan oluşmuştur. Yİ’nin günlük yaşamda derecelendirilmesi için Davranış Derecelendirme Envanterinin (Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Functions: BRIEF) öğretmen ve ebeveyn formları kullanılmıştır (BRIEF-Ö ve BRIEF-E). Laboratuvar testleri Stroop Testi, Wisconsin Kart Eşleme Testi ve Raven Standart Progresif Matrisler Testinden oluşmuştur. Bulgular: DEHB grubunda, BRIEF’in faktör yapısı davranışsal düzenleme göstergesi ve üstbiliş göstergesinden oluşmuştur (açıklanan varyanslar BRIEF-Ö için %70.07 ve BRIEF-Ö için %72.29). Yönetici işlevleri ölçen ekolojik ve laboratuvar testleri aynı faktör altında yer almamıştır. Çok Değişkenli varyans analizi BRİEF puanları açısından grup etkisinin anlamlı olduğunu ancak altgruplar arasında anlamlı fark olmadığını ortaya koymuştur. BRIEF puanları ile yapılan lojistik regresyon analizinde duyarlık %90.20, özgüllük %63.20 olarak bulunmuştur. Tartışma: Çalışma Yİ’ye özel bilişsel özellikleri ve bunların davranışsal göstergelerini belirleyebilmek için ilgili özelliklerin bir arada taranmasını sağlayan ekolojik ve laboratuvar testlerinin kullanılması, bilgilerin hem öğretmen hem de ebeveynden ayrı ayrı alınması gerektiği ortaya konmuştur. BRIEF’in ve laboratuvar testlerinin ölçtüğü Yİ’nin aynı özellikler kümesinden oluşmadığına gösteren sonuçlar BRIEF’in Türk kültürü üzerindeki geçerliğine de ışık tutmaktadır

A Review of Childhood Developmental Changes in Attention as Indexed in the Electrical Activity of the Brain

This review aims to present age-related changes in the neuroelectric responses of typically developing children (TDC) who are presumed to meet developmental stages appropriately. The review is based on findings from the frequently used neuropsychological tasks of active attention, where attention is deliberately focused versus passive attention where attention is drawn to a stimulus, facilitatory attention, which enhances the processing of a stimulus versus inhibitory attention, which suppresses the processing of a stimulus. The review discusses the early and late stages of attentional selectivity that correspond to early and late information processing. Age-related changes in early attentional selectivity were quantitatively represented in latencies of the event-related potential (ERP) components. Age-related changes in late attentional selectivity are also qualitatively represented by structural and functional reorganization of attentional processing and the brain areas involved. The purely bottom-up or top-down processing is challenged with age-related findings on difficult tasks that ensure a high cognitive load. TDC findings on brain oscillatory activity are enriched by findings from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The transition from the low to fast oscillations in TDC and ADHD confirmed the maturational lag hypothesis. The deviant topographical localization of the oscillations confirmed the maturational deviance model. The gamma-based match and utilization model integrates all levels of attentional processing. According to these findings and theoretical formulations, brain oscillations can potentially display the human brain’s wholistic–integrative functions

Delta and theta oscillatory activity in human information processing

Karakaş, Sirel (Dogus Author) -- Conference full title: Proceedings of the 18th World Congress of Psychophysiology (IOP2016) of the International Organization of Psychophysiology (IOP) Havana, Cuba August 31st to September 4th, 2016.Previous studies showed that event related EEG delta coherence increased upon application of cognitive load in healthy young subjects. The decrease of delta coherence in Alzheimer’s disease patients was reported in comparison to healthy controls during cognitive load. However, when the stimulation was just visual sensory no differences between healthy controls and Alzheimer patients were found (Başar et al. 2010, Güntekin et al. 2008). The present study aims to analyze event related delta coherence in patients with Parkinson’s disease with and without cognitive deficits during application of visual oddball paradigm

Source localization in human information processing via hybrid functional magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalography,

Karakaş, Sirel (Dogus Author) -- Conference full title: Proceedings of the 18th World Congress of Psychophysiology (IOP2016) of the International Organization of Psychophysiology (IOP) Havana, Cuba August 31st to September 4th, 2016.MCI, indicating delta responses may predict the conversion from MCI to AD. In conclusion, event-related brain oscillations are important correlates of cognitive processes and have the potential to be investigated as a candidate biomarker for screening of large populations at risk, as well as in the diagnosis and course of AD