Reduced intrasubject variability with reinforcement in boys, but not girls, with ADHD: Associations with prefrontal anatomy

Keri S Rosch; Benjamin Dirlikov; Stewart H Mostofsky

doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2015.06.010

Reduced intrasubject variability with reinforcement in boys, but not girls, with ADHD: Associations with prefrontal anatomy

Biol Psychol. 2015 Sep:110:12-23. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2015.06.010. Epub 2015 Jun 30.

Authors

Keri S Rosch¹, Benjamin Dirlikov², Stewart H Mostofsky³

Affiliations

¹ Center for Neurodevelopmental and Imaging Research, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Neuropsychology, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. Electronic address: rosch@kennedykrieger.org.
² Center for Neurodevelopmental and Imaging Research, Baltimore, MD, USA.
³ Center for Neurodevelopmental and Imaging Research, Baltimore, MD, USA; Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.

Abstract

This study examined the impact of motivational contingencies (reinforcement and punishment) on go/no-go (GNG) task performance in girls and boys with ADHD relative to typically developing (TD) children and associations with prefrontal anatomy. Children ages 8-12 with ADHD (n=107, 36 girls) and TD controls (n=95, 34 girls) completed a standard and a motivational GNG task and associations with prefrontal cortex (PFC) surface area were examined. Intrasubject variability (ISV) was lower during the motivational compared to the standard GNG among TD girls and boys, and boys with ADHD, but not among girls with ADHD. A greater reduction in ISV was associated with greater PFC surface area among children with ADHD. This novel demonstration of improvement in ISV with motivational contingencies for boys, but not girls, with ADHD and associations with PFC anatomy informs our understanding of sex differences and motivational factors contributing to ISV in children with ADHD.

Keywords: ADHD; Cognition; Intrasubject variability; Motivation; Prefrontal cortex; Response control; Sex differences.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / physiopathology
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / psychology*
Case-Control Studies
Child
Female
Humans
Male
Motivation / physiology*
Observer Variation
Prefrontal Cortex / anatomy & histology*
Reinforcement, Psychology*
Sex Factors
Task Performance and Analysis

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding