Causal heterogeneity in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: do we need neuropsychologically impaired subtypes?
Causal heterogeneity in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: do we need neuropsychologically impaired subtypes?
Before assigning full etiologic validity to a psychopathologic disorder, disease theory suggests that a causal dysfunction in a mechanism within the affect individuals must be identified. Existing theories on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) suggest such dysfunctions in cognitive, neuropsychological, or motivational processes in the child.
To date, researchers have tested these theories by comparing groups with DSM-defined ADHD to children without ADHD. Using executive functioning as an illustration of an issue that exists across all such theories, this article describes substantial overlaps in the group performance data. Thus only a subgroup may have executive deficits. Noted are other supportive data suggesting multiple pathways to ADHD.
The article explores implications and recommends that future theory and research give more consideration to the probability that only a subset of behaviorally defined children will have a deficit in a given neurocognitive mechanism believed to contribute to the disorder. Creation of a provisional set of criteria in DSM-V for defining an “executive deficit type” could stimulate research to validate the first etiologic subtype of ADHD and spur the development of more sophisticated causal models, which in the longer term may give clinicians ways to target and tailor treatments.
adhd, neuropsychology, executive functions, heterogeneity, dsm-v
1224-1230
Nigg, Joel
a3e99b0c-1a58-4acd-b668-d7468086212d
Willcutt, Erik
5f7dd498-8db3-44fc-bd28-c0a43321ccee
Doyle, Alysa
5229db16-6c92-49c2-87f4-796f71a665e9
Sonuga-Barke, Edmund J.S.
bc80bf95-6cf9-4c76-a09d-eaaf0b717635
2005
Nigg, Joel
a3e99b0c-1a58-4acd-b668-d7468086212d
Willcutt, Erik
5f7dd498-8db3-44fc-bd28-c0a43321ccee
Doyle, Alysa
5229db16-6c92-49c2-87f4-796f71a665e9
Sonuga-Barke, Edmund J.S.
bc80bf95-6cf9-4c76-a09d-eaaf0b717635
Nigg, Joel, Willcutt, Erik, Doyle, Alysa and Sonuga-Barke, Edmund J.S.
(2005)
Causal heterogeneity in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: do we need neuropsychologically impaired subtypes?
Biological Psychiatry, 57 (11), .
(doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2004.08.025).
Abstract
Before assigning full etiologic validity to a psychopathologic disorder, disease theory suggests that a causal dysfunction in a mechanism within the affect individuals must be identified. Existing theories on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) suggest such dysfunctions in cognitive, neuropsychological, or motivational processes in the child.
To date, researchers have tested these theories by comparing groups with DSM-defined ADHD to children without ADHD. Using executive functioning as an illustration of an issue that exists across all such theories, this article describes substantial overlaps in the group performance data. Thus only a subgroup may have executive deficits. Noted are other supportive data suggesting multiple pathways to ADHD.
The article explores implications and recommends that future theory and research give more consideration to the probability that only a subset of behaviorally defined children will have a deficit in a given neurocognitive mechanism believed to contribute to the disorder. Creation of a provisional set of criteria in DSM-V for defining an “executive deficit type” could stimulate research to validate the first etiologic subtype of ADHD and spur the development of more sophisticated causal models, which in the longer term may give clinicians ways to target and tailor treatments.
This record has no associated files available for download.
More information
Published date: 2005
Additional Information:
Advancing the neuroscience of ADHD
Keywords:
adhd, neuropsychology, executive functions, heterogeneity, dsm-v
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 40521
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/40521
ISSN: 0006-3223
PURE UUID: 2429c26a-b2aa-496d-9967-c534851f9cb1
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 04 Jul 2006
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 08:20
Export record
Altmetrics
Contributors
Author:
Joel Nigg
Author:
Erik Willcutt
Author:
Alysa Doyle
Author:
Edmund J.S. Sonuga-Barke
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
Loading...
View more statistics