Executive functions in children with chronic tic disorders with/without ADHD: new insights. 2007

Veit Roessner, and Andreas Becker, and Tobias Banaschewski, and Aribert Rothenberger
Dept. of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychotherapy, University of Goettingen, Von Siebold-Str. 5, 37075, Goettingen, Germany. vroessn@gwdg.de

OBJECTIVE In Chronic Tic Disorders (CTD) associated Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is very common. Hence, it is important to clarify how both conditions are related to cognitive dysfunctions in patients with CTD+ADHD comorbidity. Recent studies on neuropsychology revealed equivocal results, mostly due to methodological shortcomings like problems in sample composition. Thus better and more detailed information on this topic is needed to improve diagnostic and treatment approaches. METHODS Three tasks related to different domains of executive functions (the Matching Familiar Figures Test, the Stroop color-word interference task, and a computerized version of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test) have been performed in two independent samples (altogether n = 138 children) both including four groups of children (CTD-only, CTD+ADHD, ADHD-only, healthy controls) matched for age and IQ. To specify the influence of either tics or ADHD-symptoms on executive functions and to answer the question of their interactive or additive relationship two-way analyses of variance (MANOVA) for the factors CTD (yes,-no) x ADHD (yes,no) were conducted. Eta squared was calculated to reveal the effect sizes for each factor. For a deeper understanding of group differences and to better enable the comparison with data in literature, additional analyses of variance (ANOVA) with posthoc testing were applied. RESULTS In summary, there was a main effect only for the factor ADHD reflected by decreased performance, while no main effect of the factor CTD could be found. Admittedly, the effects were not uniform in both samples. However, in all three tasks and both samples, uniformly no interaction between the main factors has been observed. CONCLUSIONS In cases of coexisting CTD+ADHD the factor ADHD shows the main negative impact on neuropsychological performance and this impact seems to be independent of any feature of the coexisting tics (additive model). This supports the notion to primarily treat the ADHD-symptoms in order to increase cognitive self regulatory abilities of these children. Contrarily, tics seem to have little impact on cognitive performance in most cases.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D009483 Neuropsychological Tests Tests designed to assess neurological function associated with certain behaviors. They are used in diagnosing brain dysfunction or damage and central nervous system disorders or injury. Aphasia Tests,Cognitive Test,Cognitive Testing,Cognitive Tests,Memory for Designs Test,Neuropsychological Testing,AX-CPT,Behavioral Assessment of Dysexecutive Syndrome,CANTAB,Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery,Clock Test,Cognitive Function Scanner,Continuous Performance Task,Controlled Oral Word Association Test,Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System,Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment,Hooper Visual Organization Test,NEPSY,Neuropsychologic Tests,Neuropsychological Test,Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test,Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status,Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure,Symbol Digit Modalities Test,Test of Everyday Attention,Test, Neuropsychological,Tests, Neuropsychological,Tower of London Test,Neuropsychologic Test,Test, Cognitive,Testing, Cognitive,Testing, Neuropsychological,Tests, Cognitive
D002648 Child A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL. Children
D002908 Chronic Disease Diseases which have one or more of the following characteristics: they are permanent, leave residual disability, are caused by nonreversible pathological alteration, require special training of the patient for rehabilitation, or may be expected to require a long period of supervision, observation, or care (Dictionary of Health Services Management, 2d ed). For epidemiological studies chronic disease often includes HEART DISEASES; STROKE; CANCER; and diabetes (DIABETES MELLITUS, TYPE 2). Chronic Condition,Chronic Illness,Chronically Ill,Chronic Conditions,Chronic Diseases,Chronic Illnesses,Condition, Chronic,Disease, Chronic,Illness, Chronic
D003072 Cognition Disorders Disorders characterized by disturbances in mental processes related to learning, thinking, reasoning, and judgment. Overinclusion,Disorder, Cognition,Disorders, Cognition
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000293 Adolescent A person 13 to 18 years of age. Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths
D001289 Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity A behavior disorder originating in childhood in which the essential features are signs of developmentally inappropriate inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. Although most individuals have symptoms of both inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity, one or the other pattern may be predominant. The disorder is more frequent in males than females. Onset is in childhood. Symptoms often attenuate during late adolescence although a minority experience the full complement of symptoms into mid-adulthood. (From DSM-V) ADHD,Attention Deficit Disorder,Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder,Brain Dysfunction, Minimal,Hyperkinetic Syndrome,Minimal Brain Dysfunction,ADDH,Attention Deficit Disorders with Hyperactivity,Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders,Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder,Attention Deficit Disorders,Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorders,Deficit Disorder, Attention,Deficit Disorders, Attention,Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder, Attention,Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorders, Attention,Disorder, Attention Deficit,Disorder, Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity,Disorders, Attention Deficit,Disorders, Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity,Dysfunction, Minimal Brain,Syndromes, Hyperkinetic
D013850 Thinking Mental activity that is not predominantly perceptual by which one apprehends some aspect of an object or situation based on past learning and experience. Critical Thinking,Thinking Skills,Thought,Thinking Skill,Thinking, Critical,Thoughts

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