The Rey 15-Item Memory Test in US veterans

Diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder by Using MR Imaging and Radiomics: A Potential Tool for Clinicians.

Recent guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have claimed the possible benefits of psychoeducational techniques in the comprehensive management of ADHD. To evaluate the efficacy of a psychoeducation programme for parents of children and adolescents with ADHD in a clinical setting using a blind randomized trial. 81 children/adolescents with ADHD were randomly assigned for their families to receive either a well-structured psychoeducation programme (intervention group, n = 44), or a parent counselling and support intervention (control group, n = 37). Measures of child ADHD symptoms, psychopathology, quality of life and family stress were taken before and after intervention and after a year follow-up. Parents and evaluators were unaware of the condition received. Compared to the support control group, the psychoeducation group showed ADHD Index and cognitive/inattention levels significantly reduced after the intervention ended (Mann-Whitney U = 3.34; p = 0.001; Mann-Whitney U = 3.47; p = 0.001). An improvement in the pro-social domain was also observed after 1 year follow-up (Mann-Whitney U = -2.37; p = 0.018), and clinical global impression found a statistically significant effect for severity over the time. Differences were initially found for the impact of the disorder in the family in different domains, including emotional and social functioning; these differences were no longer significant after alpha correction. No significant differences in quality of life or family stress were found in comparison with the control group. This psychoeducation programme is a valuable treatment for parents/carers of children/adolescents with ADHD, which needs to be considered when evaluating different non-pharmacological treatment options. Psychoeducation and other kind of non-pharmacological approaches need to be regarded not as a substitute, but as a complementary treatment to medications; these approaches might help other very crucial aspects of ADHD including social and familiar outcomes.

The present study investigates the cognitive performance and subjective perceptions in the context of road traffic noise alone and multiple noises, including construction and ventilation noises. A total of 20 university students were exposed to seven noise conditions. Laboratory experiments employed semantic and episodic memory tasks. Self-reports of perception were collected from the participants. It was found that multiple noise sources impaired the free recall of words, and free recall scores were affected by noise type. Significant differences in free recall scores were found when the noise level difference between the individual noise and multiple noise sources was more than 5 dB. In contrast, word comprehension did not mediate the effects of noise on semantic memory. Annoyance caused by multiple noise sources correlated highly with the results of the free recall and word comprehension tasks. Moreover, loudness and roughness were found to account for the annoyance ratings of combinations of road traffic noise with construction or ventilation noises.

Neurodevelopmental disorders comprise a group of neuropsychiatric conditions. Presently, behavior-based diagnostic approaches are utilized in clinical settings, but the overlapping features among these disorders obscure their recognition and management. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have common characteristics across various levels, from genes to symptoms. Designing a computational framework based on the neuroimaging findings could provide a discriminative tool for ultimate more efficient treatment. Machine learning approaches, specifically classification methods are among the most applied techniques to reach this goal. We applied a novel two-level multi-class data maximum dispersion classifier (DMDC) algorithm to classify the functional neuroimaging data (utilizing datasets: ADHD-200 and autism brain imaging data exchange (ABIDE)) into two categories: Neurodevelopmental disorders (ASD and ADHD) or healthy participants, based on calculated functional connectivity values (statistical temporal correlation). Our model achieved a total accuracy of 62% for healthy controls. Specifically, it demonstrated an accuracy of 51% for healthy subjects, 61% for autism spectrum disorder, and 84% for ADHD. The support vector machine (SVM) model achieved an accuracy of 46% for both the healthy control and ASD groups, while the ADHD group classification accuracy was estimated to be 84%. These two models showed similar classification indices for the ADHD group. However, the discrimination power was higher in the ASD class. The method employed in this study demonstrated acceptable performance in classifying disorders and healthy conditions compared to the more commonly used SVM method. Notably, functional connections associated with the cerebellum showed discriminative power.

IntroductionPoor sleep quality has been reported among adults with attention-deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) and has been associated with reduced sensory-processing abilities and low work performance. However, the relationships among sleep quality, sensory processing and the insufficient work performance of adults with ADHD is still unclear.ObjectivesFollowing the World Health Organization’s international classification of functioning, disability and health concepts, this study compares sleep quality and sensory processing (body functions) and work performance (participation) of adults with ADHD to those of controls, and examines the relationships among those components in adults with ADHD.MethodsParticipants were 69 adults with ADHD and 52 age- and gender-matched controls. All completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Mini Sleep Questionnaire, the Adult/Adolescent Sensory Profile and the Occupational Questionnaire.ResultsCompared to controls, the adults with ADHD showed significantly poorer body functions (sleep quality and sensory processing patterns) and lower work performance. Significant correlations were found between sleep quality and sensory-processing abilities and between sleep quality and work performance among adults with ADHD. Regression analysis revealed that for adults with ADHD, sleep quality accounted for 22.0%, and sensory sensitivity accounted for 10.9%, of the variance of their work performance.ConclusionsSleep quality, together with sensory processing patterns, has a significant influence on work performance of adults with ADHD. Because work is a vital occupation for adults, these body functions need to be considered in clinical settings, and further research on this topic is required for better understanding of the phenomena.KeywordADHD add Sleep quality add work performance add sensory processing

This review focuses on the cognitive neuroscience of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) based on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies and on recent clinically relevant applications such as fMRI-based diagnostic classification or neuromodulation therapies targeting fMRI deficits with neurofeedback (NF) or brain stimulation. Meta-analyses of fMRI studies of executive functions (EFs) show that ADHD patients have cognitive-domain dissociated complex multisystem impairments in several right and left hemispheric dorsal, ventral and medial fronto-cingulo-striato-thalamic and fronto-parieto-cerebellar networks that mediate cognitive control, attention, timing and working memory (WM). There is furthermore emerging evidence for abnormalities in orbital and ventromedial prefrontal and limbic areas that mediate motivation and emotion control. In addition, poor deactivation of the default mode network (DMN) suggests an abnormal interrelationship between hypo-engaged task-positive and poorly “switched off” hyper-engaged task-negative networks, both of which are related to impaired cognition. Translational cognitive neuroscience in ADHD is still in its infancy. Pattern recognition analyses have attempted to provide diagnostic classification of ADHD using fMRI data with respectable classification accuracies of over 80%. Necessary replication studies, however, are still outstanding. Brain stimulation has been tested in heterogeneously designed, small numbered proof of concept studies targeting key frontal functional impairments in ADHD. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) appears to be promising to improve ADHD symptoms and cognitive functions based on some studies, but larger clinical trials of repeated stimulation with and without cognitive training are needed to test clinical efficacy and potential costs on non-targeted functions. Only three studies have piloted NF of fMRI-based frontal dysfunctions in ADHD using fMRI or near-infrared spectroscopy, with the two larger ones finding some improvements in cognition and symptoms, which, however, were not superior to the active control conditions, suggesting potential placebo effects. Neurotherapeutics seems attractive for ADHD due to their safety and potential longer-term neuroplastic effects, which drugs cannot offer. However, they need to be thoroughly tested for short- and longer-term clinical and cognitive efficacy and their potential for individualized treatment.

This is the third in a series of four cross-cultural empirical studies designed to develop International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF, and Children and Youth version, ICF(-CY) Core Sets for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). To explore the perspectives of individuals diagnosed with ADHD, self-advocates, immediate family members and professional caregivers on relevant areas of impairment and functional abilities typical for ADHD across the lifespan as operationalized by the ICF(-CY). A qualitative study using focus group discussions or semi-structured interviews of 76 participants, divided into 16 stakeholder groups. Participants from five countries (Brazil, India, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Sweden) were included. A deductive qualitative content analysis was conducted to extract meaningful functioning and disability concepts from verbatim material. Extracted concepts were then linked to ICF(-CY) categories by independent researchers using a standardized linking procedure. In total, 82 ICF(-CY) categories were identified, of which 32 were related to activities and participation, 25 to environmental factors, 23 to body functions and 2 to body structures. Participants also provided opinions on experienced positive sides to ADHD. A high level of energy and drive, creativity, hyper-focus, agreeableness, empathy, and willingness to assist others were the most consistently reported strengths associated with ADHD. Stakeholder perspectives highlighted the need to appraise ADHD in a broader context, extending beyond diagnostic criteria into many areas of ability and disability as well as environmental facilitators and barriers. This qualitative study, along with three other studies (comprehensive scoping review, expert survey and clinical study), will provide the scientific basis to define ICF(-CY) Core Sets for ADHD, from which assessment tools can be derived for use in clinical and research setting, as well as in health care administration.

Studies show gambling disorders are associated with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The association between gambling disorders and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has not been well studied, although ASD is often comorbid with ADHD and is associated with gaming disorder. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of ASD and ADHD traits comorbid with gambling disorders and to examine the relationships between these traits and gambling problems in a clinical population. This single-site cross-sectional study was conducted at a Japanese addiction outpatient clinic treating gambling disorders. The Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) test and the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) were used to screen ASD and ADHD. The Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) was used to assess the severity of the gambling problems. We calculated the prevalence of suspected ASD and ADHD with 95% confidence intervals (CI) based on a binomial distribution and performed univariate analyses to examine the relationships between the AQ and ASRS scores and the total PGSI score. We included 97 of 197 potential participants. After screening the participants using the AQ and ASRS, we found that the prevalence of ASD traits was 29.8% (95% CI: 21.0%-40.2%), while the prevalence of ADHD traits was 26.0% (95% CI: 17.9%-36.2%). Univariate regression analyses revealed that the total AQ score was inversely associated with the total PGSI score. However, the total ASRS score and some ASRS subscores were positively associated with the total PGSI score. ASD and ADHD may be prevalent among patients with gambling disorders in clinical settings.

Background: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) significantly impairs the social and emotional functioning of children. Objectives: The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral play therapy (CBPT) and rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) on the adjustment of students with ADHD. Methods: This quasi-experimental study utilized a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up design with a control group. The population comprised elementary students with ADHD in Behbahan, Iran, during the 2023 - 2024 academic year. Forty-five students were selected via convenience sampling and randomly assigned to three groups of CBPT, REBT, and a control group (n = 15 each). The experimental groups received eight structured therapy sessions plus two parental training sessions, while the control group received no intervention. Data were collected using the Emotional Adjustment Measure (EAM) and analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA. Results: Findings indicated that both CBPT and REBT significantly increased overall adjustment scores and their components — including regulation of emotional/physiological arousal and reduction of hopelessness — compared to the control group (P < 0.001). However, no significant difference was observed between the efficacy of the two experimental interventions. Conclusions: Both CBPT and REBT are effective, viable clinical interventions for enhancing adjustment levels in students with ADHD and can be utilized as complementary treatments in educational and clinical settings.

There is an urgent need to investigate the long-term impact of social skill interventions for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Interventions targeting the social skills of children with ADHD have limited short-term effectiveness and rarely investigate the long-term impact. Furthermore, these interventions are most frequently conducted in the clinic setting, without including the child's natural settings and interactants, such as their regular playmates and parents. The present study investigated the social play, social skills and parent-child relationships of children with ADHD and their playmates (n=13/group) aged 5-13years. A two-group before and after design with a longitudinal component was applied. Participant data compared over two time points, immediately following arandomised, controlled trial (RCT) of a play-based intervention and 12months post-RCT. From immediately following the RCT to the 12-month follow-up, children with ADHD maintained social play skill gains in the home environment. Playmates maintained social play skill gains across the home and clinic environments. Children scored within a developmentally appropriate range, falling within 1 standard deviation of the mean for social skills and most parent-child relationship scales using norm-based assessments. Results support the long-term effectiveness of the intervention.

Background/Objectives: Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Traditional diagnostic methods, which depend on subjective assessments, often lack precision. This study evaluates the validity and reliability of a newly developed diagnostic tool, the Distractor-Embedded Auditory Continuous Performance Test (da-CPT), which integrates auditory stimuli with distractors to enhance the clinical utility of ADHD diagnosis. Methods: The study included 160 children aged 6-12 years, comprising 80 with a confirmed ADHD diagnosis and 80 controls. All participants completed the da-CPT, a web-based tool designed to assess inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and timing via an auditory-based task. To validate the da-CPT, participants also completed the Conners' Parent Rating Scale-Revised Short Form (CPRS-R) and either the MOXO or IVA-2 tests. Data were analyzed using ROC curves and statistical correlations to assess sensitivity, specificity, and overall diagnostic accuracy. Results: The da-CPT demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy, with a sensitivity of 91.25% and specificity of 83.75%. ROC analysis indicated that the inattention index had the highest discriminatory power (AUC = 0.881), followed by timing, impulsivity, and hyperactivity (all p < 0.01). Furthermore, the da-CPT scores were strongly correlated with ADHD severity (p < 0.01). Conclusions: This study confirms that the da-CPT is a valid and reliable tool for diagnosing ADHD in children aged 6-12. By incorporating auditory stimuli and distractors, the tool offers a more ecologically valid assessment of ADHD symptoms in clinical settings, improving diagnostic precision and utility.

Capturing images in thousands of contiguous spectral bands has been made simpler with the emergence of technology in the field of hyperspectral remote sensing. Despite of these huge data available for analysis, Hyperspectral images (HSI) face many challenges due to high dimensionality, noise, spectral mixing and computational complexity. Several preprocessing methods can be used to overcome the above mentioned issues. In this paper, an enhancement technique using 2D-Empirical Wavelet Transform (EWT) is used as a preprocessing step for the HSI reconstruction prior to sparsity based classification (Subspace Pursuit and Orthogonal Matching Pursuit). The effectiveness of the proposed method is proved by comparing the classification results obtained with and without applying preprocessing. Experimental analysis shows a significant improvement in the classification accuracies i.e., for 40 $$\%$$ of training samples, OMP shows an improvement in overall classification accuracy from 66.12 $$\%$$ to 93.20 $$\%$$ and SP shows an improvement from 66.36 $$\%$$ to 92.74 $$\%$$ .

As attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a feasible target for individuals aiming to procure stimulant medication or accommodations, there is a high clinical need for accurate assessment of adult ADHD. Proven falsifiability of commonly used diagnostic instruments is therefore of concern. The present study aimed to develop a new, ADHD-specific infrequency index to aid the detection of non-credible self-report. Disorder-specific adaptations of four detection strategies were embedded into the Conners’ Adult ADHD Rating Scales (CAARS) and tested for infrequency among credible neurotypical controls (n = 1001) and credible adults with ADHD (n = 100). The new index’ ability to detect instructed simulators (n = 242) and non-credible adults with ADHD (n = 22) was subsequently examined using ROC analyses. Applying a conservative cut-off score, the new index identified 30% of participants instructed to simulate ADHD while retaining a specificity of 98%. Items assessing supposed symptoms of ADHD proved most useful in distinguishing genuine patients with ADHD from simulators, whereas inquiries into unusual symptom combinations produced a small effect. The CAARS Infrequency Index (CII) outperformed the new infrequency index in terms of sensitivity (46%), but not overall classification accuracy as determined in ROC analyses. Neither the new infrequency index nor the CII detected non-credible adults diagnosed with ADHD with adequate accuracy. In contrast, both infrequency indices showed high classification accuracy when used to detect symptom over-report. Findings support the new indices’ utility as an adjunct measure in uncovering feigned ADHD, while underscoring the need to differentiate general over-reporting from specific forms of feigning.

Executive function deficiencies characterize Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a complicated disorder. The effects of cognitive activities on executive functions in children with ADHD were examined in this study from the perspective of occupational therapy. Eleven children were in the control group and ten in the intervention group, totaling twenty-one children (mean age: 9.82 ± 0.87 years). Over eight weeks, the intervention group received extra cognitive activities, whereas the control group received special education twice a week. Standardized assessments, such as the Verbal Fluency Test (VFT), Stroop Test T-Bag Form (ST-TBAG), and Children's Color Trails Test (CCTT), were used to evaluate both groups before and after the intervention. To assess the data, the Mann-Whitney U test was used for between-group comparisons and the Wilcoxon Paired Sample Test for within-group changes. The study group's performance on the ST-TBAG and CCTT scores improved significantly (p &lt; 0.05). Although there were no other notable changes, the control group did show improvements in a few ST-TBAG time sections (p &lt; 0.05). The findings suggest that integrating cognitive activities into treatment can improve children with ADHD's executive function abilities. To effectively support these children, the study emphasizes how crucial it is to incorporate cognitive occupational therapy interventions into clinical and educational settings.

BackgroundEngaging adolescents in decisions about their health may enhance their compliance with treatment and result in better health outcomes. Treatment outcomes in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are rarely evaluated from the adolescents’ point of view. There is also concern that adolescents with ADHD may not have insight about the impacts of their disease. This article describes research conducted to understand the experiences of adolescents with ADHD and how the research was used to develop an adolescent self-report instrument.MethodsThis research involved an iterative process to ensure content validity and was conducted in the following stages: concept identification from literature reviews and interviews with teachers and clinicians; concept elicitation interviews with adolescents with ADHD and their caregivers, review of existing instruments; development of a new instrument and cognitive interviews. Experts in instrument development and translation and clinical practitioners in ADHD also participated.ResultsA conceptual framework to measure the impact of ADHD on adolescent functioning identified from concept identification research informed concept elicitation interviews with 60 adolescents with ADHD and their primary caregivers. In the interviews, adolescents discussed difficulties with performing activities in various contexts: school, home, leisure activities and social interactions. Caregivers provided additional insights. The instrument review revealed that none of the existing instruments were suitable to collect data on the elicited concepts; therefore, a new instrument was developed. Revisions were made to the format and content of the instrument (a daily diary) based on feedback received from cognitive testing with 15 adolescents.ConclusionsOur research helped to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the impacts of ADHD on adolescent functioning, to inform the development of a new instrument for measuring outcomes. Adolescents were able to discuss the impact of ADHD on their lives in concept elicitation interviews and report the impacts of ADHD on a self-report instrument. The new instrument developed to reflect the perspective of adolescents with ADHD can be used to supplement outcome assessments in clinic and research settings. Scientific advocacy for the use of such measures can be valuable to measure outcomes meaningful to adolescents with ADHD and the clinical community.